


The Time Machine

by emquin



Series: Rory Hummel Anderson Verse [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: AU, Klaine, M/M, Rory Hummel Anderson, Time Travel, brittana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-17 06:43:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 89,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1377697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emquin/pseuds/emquin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a moment of what could be called absolutely brilliance or stupidity, Rory Hummel-Anderson decided that the only way to get his Papa back was to go back in time. The only problem is, his Aunt's time machine is still just a prototype and he can't even specify a time. But Rory uses it anyway and suddenly he's back in 2011 and he has to pretend to be an exchange student while he waits for Aunt Brittany to build the time machine again and get back home. In the meanwhile he gets to know his parents as teenagers and even help their relationship along when they hit a bump in the road. </p><p>This fic covers almost every episode of season 3 as canon adding missing scenes through the perspective of Klaine and Rory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into The Past

**Author's Note:**

> This was written back at the beginning of season 3 when Rory made an appearance. So, in this fic he is a time traveller and Klaine's son. 
> 
> I loved writing this fic mostly due to the time travel and the fact that I got to revisit almost every episode that season and write about them with my twists filling in bits and pieces. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Rory leaned his head against the door and didn’t even care that he was crying, sobbing even. But it was all his fault and he couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. Someone knocked on his door and Rory knew just who it was from how the knocks came.

“Rory, please let me in,” the broken voice of his dad said and Rory didn’t have the heart to not unlock the door, so he did and then he pushed himself off of it and his dad turned the knob.

“Oh, Rory,” his dad said and Rory fell right into his arms. “I miss him too, Sweetheart. It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

Rory’s dad lead him towards the bed and two of them sat down and Rory pulled himself as close as possible as he could to his dad’s side and he let out the sobs in earnest.

“I miss Papa,” he said through hiccups after he’d gotten most of it out his system.

His dad ran a hand through his hair and kissed the top of his head. “I know, Rors. It’s not going to be the same without him and things are going to be different, but we’ll get through it.”

Rory nodded even though he didn’t think that they would. The worst thing was that it was all his fault. If he hadn’t needed that specific paper for his project then his Pa wouldn’t have driven to the other side of town and that car wouldn’t have hit him.

Rory could tell that his dad was just managing to hold it together, somehow trying to give Rory a façade even one that bad for a man that had been on Broadway for a while.

“Do you want anything to eat?” he dad prompted.

Rory shrugged.

“I know how you feel, Rory, you know I lost my mom when I was young. I know it’s hard, but right now we just need to be strong.”

His dad hugged him tighter and Rory let them comfort rush through him because despite the horrible feeling in his gut that told him that all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry, there was someone there that cared and didn’t want him to feel like that. He wrapped his arms around his dad just as tightly, wishing that there was something he could do. There just had to be something. He began to cry again. His dad rocked him and sang softly. It was a mourning song.

“I love you, Rory, so much, and your Papa loves you even if he can’t be here anymore,” he heard his dad say faintly some time later as his eyes closed. At the end of the sentence he thought his dad’s voice broke.

Rory didn’t know how he’d managed to sleep, but he had. Ever since the accident and the call that followed it hadn’t been something that was possible and he and his dad stayed in his parent’s bed together, not sleeping and trying to be as strong as possible for the other and eventually failing. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he hadn’t slept more than an hour a night.

He woke to the smell of pizza and slowly drifted out of his room, almost forgetting that he would only find one parent in the other room instead of two and his heart constricted.

“I got pizza,” his dad said, “I didn’t really want to cook.”

Rory hadn’t expected him to.

“I also don’t think any of those casseroles will actually taste good.”

Rory almost cracked a smile.

He ate a full slice, but although on a regular day he would have had more than just that, he felt full and he just leaned back against his chair and didn’t know if he should just go back to his room. Instead he watched as his dad forced himself to eat and also stopped after he’d finished his first slice. Papa would have made a joke about how Dad ate like a bird. God, it was all his fault.

Then, suddenly it hit him. He could stop it from happening. The machine hadn’t been tested exactly but Aunt Brittany said it worked and if there was ever anyone that could be called a genius it was Brittany Pierce. And if he could go back and delay his dad somehow then he wouldn’t be hit by the drunk driver and he’d still be alive.

Rory began planning as soon as he and his dad were sitting in the living room trying to watch tv but not really focusing on the program. He just had to go over to his Aunts’ house somehow and he would fix everything, there was only the problem of getting out of the house and making sure that only Brittany was home and not Aunt Santana.

He felt a little lighter knowing that he had a plan of sorts and knowing that if it all went right when he came back then this wouldn’t be anything but a bad dream and his Papa would be alive and well making jokes that weren’t funny and always staring at his Dad with a lovesick expression that hadn’t waned over the years.  
-  
-  
-  
Rory didn’t get a chance to actually execute his plan until two days later and by then he was back to moping around the house because no matter what he still missed his Papa and a part of him had begun to doubt his brilliant plan, because how was he going to actually accomplish it.

“I have to get back to work, Rors,” his dad said, “Only for a few hours and then I’ll be mostly working from home.”

Although his dad had had a stint on Broadway, it was fashion that had eventually been his calling starting with a line of hats released soon after he finished one of his shows. Then in his off time he’d begun expanding and eventually there had been a fully formed company and suddenly being on the stage wasn’t as important, although he’d gone back for a year a few years before to try it out again. So, for the most part he could work from home, except that there were always things he had to sign off and even now he couldn’t pass that on to someone else.

“It’s alright,” Rory said.

He was glad that at least he didn’t have school to worry about until Monday when he had to go back.

“Okay,” his dad said and then paused at the door, “do you really think you’ll be okay home alone? I could take you to Uncle Finn’s? Or maybe your Aunt Brittany’s? I know you like it there and you wouldn’t be alone.”

“Aunt Brittany’s sounds good,” he said after a moment of faked consideration.

So, he was dropped off at his Aunt’s house and almost smothered by Brittany who started crying when she saw them. Aunt Santana hugged him next and she was the one that convinced his Dad that he’d be okay.

“We can do whatever you want, Squirt,” Aunt Santana said and led him to the living room.

“Can we just do something in the work room like usual?” he asked, “I want things to be normal.”

The work room was actually the basement in the house and it was where his Aunt Brittany created things like the time machine that Rory would need to go stop his Papa from getting killed.

Aunt Santana hesitated and then she nodded, “if that’s what you want,” she said and she let an excited yet slightly solemn Brittany lead him down to her special room.

The room wasn’t very technical, though it did contain a lot of devices that looked absolutely complicated and not even Brittany knew what half of them were. He wondered for a moment what she was working on now.

Everyone was surprised when they heard about Aunt Brittany becoming some sort of inventor. Rory thought it had a lot to do with the crazy things she said sometimes especially about her cats. But then Aunt Santana had taken something Aunt Brittany made to someone else and showed them what it did and then suddenly her things were selling and his Aunt didn’t really understand the point because for her it was just things that needed fixing.

The time machine had been one of the first things she’d been working on. His dad had told him that she’d started it back when they were still in high school and no one had actually thought she was working on one. And it did work, he knew, because his Uncle Finn had accidentally gone back an hour once. The only problem with it – and there were always problems with Aunt Brittany’s creations – was that it didn’t have anything to set a time to it. Aunt Brittany said it worked on your wishes or something. Rory wasn’t entirely sure, but it was what he needed to find out.

Other than being the business part of everything, Aunt Santana tended to stay away from all of Aunt Brittany’s things unless they were completed and functioning. The only thing that hadn’t been put on the market was the time machine and that is what he meant by untested. It hadn’t, like many of the other inventions been seen by the government and officially patented and reproduced. It was one of a kind and it still had to have its kinks.

He asked some idle questions and tried to sound interested even though he kept eying the corner where the circular disk and panel sat undisturbed and gaining dust. Aunt Santana went back up the stairs as soon as she knew they were okay and Rory was glad when she did.

“So, Aunt Brittany, how does the time machine work? You never showed me.”

She looked at him for a long moment before she led him over to it. “It works on magic, Rory,” she said, “you step on the circle thing and you turn it on and it takes you where you want to go. Santana says the rest of the buttons should do something, but I don’t remember what. But come on, I have something else to show you.”

Rory eyed the machine again and reluctantly followed his aunt to one of the tables where a half constructed box sat. It looked just like any ordinary box, but knowing his Aunt It had to be something else entirely.

It was only when she got into continuing her work with the box that Rory managed to get a better look at the time machine. He made sure Aunt Brittany was still focused on whatever she was working on while he got on the disk and pressed the power button she’d showed him earlier. It whirred on, making more noise than Rory had expected and he saw Aunt Brittany stop working. From above he heard Aunt Santana’s footsteps. If he was going to do it, he had to do it, now.

The other buttons didn’t make sense, there wasn’t even a clock or something to input a date on it, so instead he just thought hard about his Papa and that day. He closed his eyes just as Aunt Santana descended the stairs.

“Rory!” she screamed and then, “no! Rory, no! This won’t bring back your dad. Please, Rory, no. Think of your dad.”

He opened his eyes. He hadn’t thought about what would happen if something went wrong, if the machine did something to him. At once all worries and fears rushed in. What if he didn’t manage to stop his dad from dying, then what? Or what if something happened to him. His dad would have no one. Rory wondered for a moment what the right choice would be. He could try to save his Papa and succeed, or he could just let things go and eventually get over the death. He couldn’t just give up just like that. No. He reached towards the panel and thinking hard about his dad, he pressed the big button that Aunt Brittany had said made everything happen and then the world began to spin.  
-  
-  
-  
When Rory came to, he was lying on a cold hard floor in the empty basement that seemed the slightest bit familiar. The light was off and he couldn’t even see his hand in front of him, but he got up slowly and leaned against the nearest wall until he could stand by himself, and then he tried to find the stairs. It took him a while and he was sure he’d have a few bruises where he’d run into things, but eventually he made it to the stairs and he climbed them slowly and stiffly, luckily finding the door unlocked.

He peeked out at the kitchen and found it empty. It was the same room, but it was different. The appliances looked old, and there was wallpaper on the walls rather than the yellow paint that Rory was used to. It took Rory a moment before he realized that it couldn’t be good, then he saw the calendar.

2011.

He hadn’t even been born yet. He walked out of the kitchen to the rest of the house and tried to figure out what to do. He picked up a piece of paper on the coffee table, skimming the first paragraph.

The creek of floorboards made him jump and then a woman appeared, eyes wide.

“Who are you?” she asked.

The woman looked a lot like his Aunt Brittany if a bit shorter. It had to be Brittany’s mom. Rory looked between her and the paper in his hand.

“I’m Rory Flanagan,” he said, “your exchange student.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Pierce said, “we didn’t expect you for another few days, but okay.”

Rory silently freaked out while she led him to the guest room.

“It’s lucky I cleaned up in here yesterday for you,” she said, “and the school has all your information already, so I guess you could start tomorrow and just settle in today. I was actually on my way out, so I’ll be back later,” she paused and frowned at him, “Where are your bags?”

Rory bit down on his lip. He hadn’t thought about that. “Mishap at the airport?” he said, and it sounded more like a question.

“Oh, you poor dear, we’ll have to pick you something up until all of that is solved. We can do that today, if you want to come along.”

What Rory wanted was to try and figure out how he was going to get home, but he knew he couldn’t just pass this up. He knew that he’d end up curled up in the bed crying about his parents anyway because suddenly it wasn’t just his Papa that was gone, but his Dad as well and Rory just wished he had listened to Aunt Santana. 

When they got back from shopping and Rory had gotten a few articles of clothing and more importantly underwear, the younger version of his Aunt Brittany was in the kitchen with Aunt Santana. His breath caught when he saw them, because they were both so young. It was only then he realized that his dads had to be somewhere just as young.

Brittany gasped when he walked in. “My leprechaun!”

Rory’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what to say. Santana rolled her eyes.

Mrs. Pierce didn’t even react as she began to put away the groceries she’d bought. Rory still holding onto his bags did the polite thing in greeting the two girls and then he decided it was time he head to the guest room and try to figure some things out. He didn’t expect for the younger versions of his Aunts to follow him right into the guest room and close the door behind them.

“We know,” Aunt Santana said without preamble, “and boy are you in trouble.”

“What?”

“We know who you are and where you come from, okay. Britt was working on the time-machine a few months ago and this girl just falls out of nowhere and she was freaking out and asking about you. We thought she was crazy until she proved who she was and we’ve been waiting for you.”

Rory didn’t understand. Who else had come to the past and how had his Aunts known that he was going to appear now? Everything was getting more and more confusing. All Rory wanted was his dads. He gulped.

“The machine doesn’t work yet,” Santana said, “but Brittany’s working on it. You’re stuck here with Sugar until she gets it right. So, we came up with a cover for you. You’re an exchange student from Ireland.”

Rory nodded. “I saw.”

It made sense, then, that his name had been on the paper, he’d wondered what the chances were of the Pierce family getting an exchange student with the same first name.

Then he stopped. Wait, Sugar?

“Sugar?” he said out loud.

Sugar was Brittany and Santana’s daughter. She was a year older and the most annoying person that Rory had ever encountered. Sugar was the only thing that made Rory wary of visiting his Aunts. And now she was in the past with him. It wasn’t fair. He wondered if Brittany and Santana knew she was their future daughter. He didn’t want to ask.

“And what am I supposed to do until it’s fixed?” He asked, worrying at his lip, “all I wanted to do was save my Papa.”  
-  
-  
-  
Both his Dad and his Papa had talked about how they were bullied when they were in school, but none of them had really gone farther than to say that. What Rory remembered more was them stressing that he should tell them if anyone ever pushed him around.

So, he didn’t expect when he go to school using the Irish accent that Aunt Santana had insisted was his cover and sporting the green hat Brittany had put on his head in the morning because it made him look more like a leprechaun, to be pushed into a locker hard after his first period of the day.

Rory also didn’t expect for anyone to come to his rescue. He was supposed to stay out of the way and blend in, he wasn’t supposed to attract attention.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Rory would have recognized the voice anywhere. He lifted his head and nodded slowly. His dad helped him to his feet and looked down at his clothes and shook his head a little.

“You’re in need of a fashion make over,” he stated, “but we can worry about that later, are you new?”

Rory managed a nod and then he spotted him coming behind them, his Papa.

“There you are,” he said addressing Kurt, “I was looking for you at your locker.”

“Well,” Kurt said, “one of the hockey guys pushed him into a locker, I was just making sure he was alright.”

Blaine noticed him then he extended a hand. “Hi. I’m Blaine. What’s your name?”

He choked out, “Rory. Rory Flanagan.” He forced himself to let go of his Papa’s hand.

“Well, don’t let the bullies get you down, Rory, just stick with us,” Blaine said and wrapped an arm around Rory’s shoulders, “if you’re not alone they won’t bother you.”

His dad smiled at him and nodded as Rory tried not to lean into his Papa too much and to stop himself from crying because for a while he hadn’t thought that he would ever have even the slightest touch from his Papa.

“Anyway, we have to go,” Kurt said, “and you probably have to get to class as well. But find us for lunch you can sit with us, alright?”

Then after Blaine had let him go, Kurt reached towards him and fixed the collar on his shirt. Rory stared after them as they began to walk away and then he fall back against the lockers, hissing when a lock dug into his back which was probably bruised from earlier. He couldn’t believe it. He’d just met his parents and even this young they acted just like in the future.

Rory spotted Brittany, then. He’d lost her earlier when they first got to school and he went over to talk to her. Aunt Santana had told him that he should act like he was attracted to Brittany which was weird and yet at the same time not, because even though she was hi Aunt in the future, this Brittany was hot. When he got to where she was at her locker, he was startled to see his Uncle Finn at his locker.

Brittany had gotten confused the moment he started using his fake Irish accent and she still didn’t seem to understand what he was saying. Somehow though she thought he was a leprechaun and Rory didn’t know if she was joking or if she actually believed him. For some reason, he agreed to get her a box of Lucky Charms with just the marshmallow bits.

It wasn’t until later that he saw his dads again. They were sitting together in the lunch room when he walked in rubbing at a sore shoulder. He’d been pushed again earlier and this time there hadn’t been anyone to help him up. In fact, everyone around him ignored him.

“There he is,” he heard Kurt say when he approached their table, “we were wondering if you’d gotten lost,” he said to Rory.

Rory set his bag down. “I guess I’ll go get something to eat,” he said and was annoyed with himself for sounding so nervous.

Blaine stood up. “I’ll come with you. It’ll probably help if you know what’s actually good here.”

Rory almost let out a sigh of relief and then he followed his Papa towards the line. Being around them, even though they didn’t know what they meant to him helped immensely. He didn’t feel as scared, or as alone. When Kurt and Blaine were around he didn’t think about how he’d messed up and how in the future he’d come from only Kurt remained.

“How has your first day gone so far?” Blaine asked.

“Alright,” Rory said and shrugged.

“Yeah, this place isn’t that great,” Blaine agreed. “I used to go to another school. I just transferred this year, and if it weren’t for Kurt I really wouldn’t know what to do with myself here.”

Rory knew all about how his Papa had transferred to McKinley to be with his Dad but it wasn’t until that moment that he realized just how meaningful that all was.

“That’s really…the two of you really care about each other.”

Blaine nodded and smiled a smile that Rory knew very well. It was his Kurt smile, the one he got whenever he looked at his husband.

“I love Kurt,” Blaine said, “I love him more than anything in the world.”

Rory sighed and let Blaine direct him towards the better things of a lunch in the McKinley High cafeteria. They didn’t say anything until they got back to table. While they were gone it had filled up and now Kurt saw his Aunt Rachel and Uncle Finn, and there was Tina and Mike who he’d met a few times in the future, and then there was Artie Abrams.

For a long time Rory hadn’t believed either his parents of his Aunts when they claimed to have been friends with Artie, but eventually when Artie finally returned to visit from California for the holidays one year he knew they hadn’t been lying. Artie was a movie director in his time, one of the greatest directors ever in Rory’s opinion.

“Hey, Rory,” Finn said when he sat down next to Blaine, “How’d the Lucky Charms thing go?”

Rory shrugged. He’d met Finn earlier while he was working on separating a box of Lucky Charms for Brittany as a thank you for everything she and Santana had done for him.

“What were you doing with Lucky Charms?” Kurt asked, “I hope you weren’t eating them.”

It sounded just like something his dad would say.

“They were for Brittany,” he said, “I’m staying with her family and she thinks I’m a leprechaun.”

Saying it out loud for the second time – the first time happening when Finn had asked earlier – made the situation sound funnier than it had been. But they all took it as it if were the most normal thing in the world and he realized that these were Brittany’s friends, of course they understood. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all, still though he couldn’t help wondering what was going on in his time.


	2. Joining The New Directions

“You single handedly saved the musical,” Blaine said and Kurt tried hard not to blush. “I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.”

Kurt shrugged. “You were busy with rehearsal, I didn’t mind. You might have gotten in the way of my fabulousness anyway.”

They were seated at their usual table at the Lima Bean, something they hadn’t been able to do for a while because of rehearsals for West Side Story. Rachel, more than Artie, was driving everyone insane and Blaine was feeling more pressure than anyone.

Blaine broke off a bit of the cookie they were sharing and put it in his mouth, savoring the treat.

“Anyway it was my dad that did everything anyway,” Kurt said, “and it’s not official yet but he’s thinking about running against Sue as a write-in-candidate.”

“Oh, really?”

Kurt nodded as he sipped at his coffee. “Carole researched it and I can’t wait to start designing buttons and signs if he does decide to go for it,” he said after gulping down his coffee.

“But?” Blaine prompted.

“But I’m worried about him,” Kurt said, not in the least surprised that Blaine had picked up on his slight issue with the entire matter, “he was just in the hospital last year and with the stress of the campaign and then what if he wins? It’s not going to be an easy job. I just worry about him.”

Blaine reached over and grabbed Kurt’s hand. “Your dad will be okay, Kurt. He’s been eating right and exercising. You and your stepmom have been taking care of him. He’ll be fine.”

Kurt moved his hand so he could intertwine their fingers instead. “I think I’ll always worry about him.”

When they finished their coffee, Blaine picked up their empty cups and took them to the trash while Kurt gathered their things and then they headed out to Kurt’s Navigator.

“Yours or mine?”

Blaine shrugged. “I don’t care either way.”

On the two days that Blaine and Kurt weren’t stuck staying after school for play rehearsals they spent them going to the Lima Bean and then doing homework at one of their houses. Since McKinley didn’t exactly give them any truly challenging homework, they barely had to spend an hour on all of it before they just hung out for the rest of the day.

“Mine, then, and you can join us for dinner because I know if I leave you to your own devices you’ll be having take out.”

Blaine grinned, “I’m okay with that.”

Blaine’s parents were travelling which was the usual for them while Blaine was at school. When Blaine had gone to Dalton it hadn’t been something he really noticed, but now that he was living back home he realized how much time his parents spent on their separate careers around the world. So, since they’d left a week earlier, Kurt had been bringing home for dinner as often as he could. Blaine specially liked it when it was Kurt’s turn to cook dinner and he could just sit and watch him at it because Kurt refused to let him help.

“I once saw you burn a boiled egg, Blaine,” he’d exclaimed, “the only thing you’re good for are sandwiches and bowls of cereal.”

So when they go to what Finn had named the Hudmel House, they headed directly to Kurt’s room, leaving the door open as per Burt’s rules before Blaine settled himself on Kurt’s bed while Kurt put his shoes away and went to turn on his ihome.

“What do you have to work on?” Kurt asked, “I only have Calc.”

“English,” Blaine shrugged, “just some reading really.”

They settled into their usual routine, the two of them sprawled out on Kurt’s Queen sized bed during their homework silently while some sort of music played in the background. Depending on the song, Blaine wouldn’t be able to stay still and he’d get up and dance around the room while Kurt watched and continue to scribble down his answers.

“Are you even reading?”

Blaine shrugged. “Sort of.”

They heard the door open downstairs and heard it close again and then two voices carried up, laughing.

“Who’s that?” Blaine asked.

“Sounds like Finn, but that’s definitely not Puck or Rachel.”

A few minutes later they heard footsteps on the stairs and then Finn and Rory following behind him appeared, looking a bit nervous.

“Oh, hey,” Finn said, “I didn’t know if you guys were going to be here or not. But, cool. I convinced Rory that he should join glee and we were going pick out a song for him to sing tomorrow.”

Kurt perked up at once. “You can sing, Rory?”

Rory blushed and nodded. “Yeah. I used to sing back at school in Ireland. It was an a capella group though.”

“Really?” Blaine asked, “Kurt and I were in the Warblers last year. It’s the glee club at Dalton Academy. Can we help?”

Rory looked between them and Finn. Finn shrugged at him.

\- - -

“I want to dedicate this song to my parents,” Rory said and tried not to look in the direction of Blaine and Kurt, “who I miss so much.”

Before going to Finn and Kurt’s house the night before Rory hadn’t known the song he was singing, and he was starting to realize that if he was going to be in glee he’d have to actually make an effort to learn music from this time.

When he was done, the other kids clapped and Rory grinned before he took the available seat next to Finn and Finn patted him on the back. Blaine – he really needed to stop calling him Papa before he said it out loud – leaned forward to grab his shoulders.

“You did great,” he said.

“Thanks,” he muttered back.

New Directions, Rory learned that day, was chaotic. It was absolutely insane and nothing like the glee club back at home.

When it had come time to choose where Rory was going to go to High School, his Papa had been adamant that he attend Dalton Academy, and although Dad had been a bit reluctant to send him there he’d finally agreed but only on the condition that Rory not dorm there.

“I don’t want to only see him on weekends and holidays, Blaine,” he’d said, “before we know it he’ll be off to college and then when will we see him? No. Friday night dinners are mandatory.”

So, even though Rory had gone back and forth for elementary school in New York City and Ohio, the family made the permanent move to Westerville, Ohio the summer before his freshman year.

His dads were both often flying off to New York for work related projects or even on occasion California though they tried to keep the trips to a minimum and if there was one thing they didn’t miss, it was Friday night dinners. Friday night dinners were sacred. Sometimes his Grandma and Grandpa Hummel would join them or if not them then Uncle Finn or Uncle Rachel if they were in Ohio.

Rory hadn’t told his dads until after he got in, that he’d tried out for the Warblers. He hadn’t been lead singer or anything like his dad, but then he was only just starting his Sophmore year and he had gotten to sing a few lines on his own during their sectionals competition the year he got in.

But the Warblers were organized. They had the council and they picked songs and gave solos out fairly. They weren’t so loud and rowdy. He couldn’t understand how his dad wasn’t freaking out about all of it. What was worse, the teacher couldn’t even really keep the order in the room.

Before the end of practice Rachel had gotten up and sung something that she deemed absolutely perfect for sectionals. There had been some protesting and then when they were finally leaving after getting absolutely nothing done, a few of the members including Kurt stopped to look into another classroom where Aunt Brittany and Aunt Santana were practicing with their glee club. Rory walked with Blaine.

“You have a really good voice,” Blaine was saying, “we’re really lucky we got you. I don’t know if you know the rules about competing but we’re actually supposed to have at least twelve members and with Brittany and Santana and Mercedes going off to join the Trouble Tones we need anyone we can get.”

When they walked past Kurt and Tina looking into the other club’s rehearsal, Kurt smiled at them and excused himself to walk to with Blaine and Rory.

“Hey, do you need a ride home today, Rory?”

Until that moment Rory hadn’t realized he’d have to wait for Brittany and Santana to be done with their practice to get home. Brittany’s mom had picked them up on his first day, and then Santana had taken him and Brittany home the next day.

“Oh, um, yeah. Thanks.”

“No problem. I just have to stop at my locker.”

“And I have to head to the Auditorium,” Blaine said and to Kurt added, “we’re practicing Tonight again.”

Rory tried to look away if they were going to mushy with their goodbye, but instead Blaine just looked around the hallway and reached up to touch Kurt’s cheek and then he was off down the hall. Rory frowned.

“We can’t really indulge in PDA in school,” Kurt told him as if he were reading Rory’s mind which was a genuine fear of his in the future because his dad always knew when he was up to something,

“Oh,” he said.

“Not that we’d be one of those couples, you know,” Kurt continued when they got to his locker, “but I’d like the option, I guess.”

Rory wanted to tell him then how in the future no one really cared. Well, that wasn’t true. Of course some people still cared and gave them looks, but it wasn’t something that couldn’t be dealt with. He wanted to tell his dad how even in Ohio he and Papa would hold hands while grocery shopping. But he couldn’t. Instead all he could say was:

“Maybe in the future things will change.”

“Yeah, Rory, I like to think so,” Kurt said, “but anyway come on.” He closed his locker door.

Luckily they didn’t meet any bullies on the way out and when Rory expressed his surprise at that Kurt just smiled.

“They’re at practice now. It’s one of the ups of being in glee. Has it really gotten bad?”

Rory shrugged. There had been a few locker slams and he’d been shoved a few times. Then there was the kid that had told him to go back to Mexico. He told Kurt as much.

“Mexico, eh? I used to tell them they’ll all work for me one day and, Rory, if they can’t even figure out that you’re not even the closest to being Mexican then that theory might still be true.”

Rory laughed. There was so much of his dad in this younger version of him and yet there was also a lot missing. They walked to the car and Rory got into the passenger seat wordlessly.

“How are you liking it here so far?” Kurt asked when he pulled out of the parking lot, “coming from Ireland it must be hard.”

“It’s like a whole new world,” Rory said and it was an entirely truthful thing to say. It was nothing like what the future would be, “but it’s okay and having friends makes it less lonely.”

Kurt nodded and he turned into another street that by now looked familiar to Rory. He didn’t know the area of Lima very well because in the future though it hadn’t changed all that much, he’d only ever visited his grandparents who still lived in the same house Kurt and Finn lived in now, and to see Aunt Brittany and Aunt Santana and between just going to those houses he hadn’t really explored Lima.

“But you miss your family,” Kurt said.

Rory nodded and didn’t look in Kurt’s direction. The worst thing was that it wasn’t like that time he’d stayed at Dalton in a friend’s dorm for a week because his dads were both going to New York and finals week had been delayed because of the weather and there was no changing their plans. At least then they’d been able to talk on the phone and use video chat. And his Papa had come home early, even.

Kurt parked his car outside Brittany’s house. It was large two story house with chipping white paint and red shutters. Exact replicas could be found on the street, but in slightly different colors.

“You’ll be home in no time,” Kurt said, “see you tomorrow?”

“Thanks, Kurt. See ya.”

\- - -

Rory sat down in a randomly chosen chair in the choir room. Only Mike and Tina were already there, but they were too busy with each other to notice him. Artie rolled in a few minutes later though and he eyed Rory from afar at first, before he wheeled himself towards Rory and came to a stop directly in front of him.

“Hey, Rory, so I was thinking if you wanted to you could be in the musical. It’s only a week to practice, but it should be enough time since it would only be a small part. What do you think?”

Rory was flabbergasted. Artie Abrams, who in the future would become a major Hollywood director and whose movies Rory loved was asking him to be in the musical that inspired Artie to follow his dreams and go to school for film.

“I…um, yeah. Of course.”

“Cool,” Artie said.

A few more members wandered in. Puck who in the future Rory had only met once and had not sported the Mohawk he had now had a strangely dreamy smile as he walked to his seat and Quinn who followed after him looked confused.

The only person that Rory hadn’t known in the future was Quinn, although he knew of her. Quinn Fabray was an actress and a good one at that. Rory faintly remembered that in the future she played one of the lead roles in some tv show that his dad watched. But above all, Quinn was absolutely beautiful. In the future and now. Quinn had only ever been mentioned a few times by his parents and their friends. Some of them, he knew, still kept contact with her.

As the rest of the club trickled in, Rory began to realize how strange it was to be in a room with people that someday would be known throughout the world at least some extent. Not all of them of course, but it was still an awe inducing thing to know that he was in the same room at award winning director Artie Abrams and the beautiful Hollywood actress Quinn Fabray, and then there was Rachel Berry to consider and his own parents.

“Hey, Rory,” Finn said when he sat down.

Rory shot a smile in his direction.

As every meeting went, it involved a lot of complaining, and Rachel getting up to sing what she deemed the perfect song for the occasion. Rory faintly recognized what she was singing that day, but couldn’t put a name to it. At one point Finn made an attempt at calming every one down, but when Blaine tried to speak up in agreement, shot him a look that Rory would never have expected to come from Finn, especially when it was directed at his Papa.

Blaine shook his head when Rory turned to look at him and he saw his dad take his hand as if to calm him down. Rory couldn’t help but smile at himself at seeing their hands. If there was one thing that was keeping Rory sane it was knowing that they were there and although they weren’t the parents he knew, they were still together and as in love as ever.

“What we need is more members,” Puck said, “we should focus on that instead of what song Berry’s going to sing at Sectionals.”

“We’re not getting any new members,” Quinn said, “there’s no use trying. We can just use the band guys, it’s the best option we’ve got.”

Mr. Shuester nodded, “Quinn’s right. We should focus on our numbers instead.”

But they didn’t because too much time had been wasted getting to that conclusion that Artie announced it was practice time and they really needed to get everything perfect for the musical. No one agreed or disagreed, so they all started gathering their things.

“Coming to rehearsal, Rory?” Artie asked when he hadn’t gotten up to follow everyone else.

“Oh. Yeah.”

All of the glee club was in the musical except for Finn which surprised Rory because he seemed to be the leader in the club.

Practicing for West Side Story turned out to be a lot of fun, specially because they were working on one of the big dance numbers and Rory enjoyed watching Mike and Brittany showing them all the moves. Being an extra turned into Rory having to play multiple characters. They were small roles and only one required him to speak. For the most part what he was doing was standing in the background or dancing in bigger numbers.

During the half hour that Rachel requested to practice her scenes with Blaine and Santana, Rory found himself with Kurt painting some of the set.

“The art students helped a lot,” he said, “but they weren’t really too happy to be doing it and Artie had no real vision for the set so I took it upon myself to work on it.”

After a while he’d added, “plus it gave me an excuse to hang out here when I didn’t have to and watch Blaine. He’s just such an amazing performer. The best Tony.”

Then, after Artie had told Rachel that she’d be fine and get to practice some more the next day, they ran through Santana’s number, America. Artie had told him that he’d have to try and do an accent that sounded Puerto Rican but although he could pull off Irish well, he really couldn’t do anything that even sounded remotely Hispanic.

Although Brittany and Santana were both there, at the end of rehearsal it was Kurt that drove him home again and this time it wasn’t just his dad in the car, but Blaine as well.

“They’re going out,” Kurt informed him in the car, “Britt and Santana. You probably know already considering, but they’re not just abandoning you or anything. Santana’s just a bit…” he looked at Blaine for help, but Blaine was busy doing something on his phone. “A bit protective of Britt.”

Rory knew the real reasons his Aunts tried to spend as little time with him as possible: Santana didn’t want to know anything about the future and the two of them were busy trying to figure out what Brittany would need to build the machine to get him back home.

\- - -

Friday night dinners were still as sacred to his father as they’d ever been, except that now they weren’t just Kurt and his dad. Since before even the wedding Carole and Finn had been constants at their table in the old house, then about a month after Kurt started dating Blaine, Blaine also became a regular at their table. That Friday night was much of the same.

Carole was busy in the kitchen doing something with the boneless chicken breast she’d bought earlier in the week and spinach claiming that it’d make a delicious dish. She’d pushed Kurt out of the kitchen and told him to go watch tv with his boyfriend.

So, instead of helping in the kitchen, Kurt sat with Blaine in the living room. Finn and his dad were still at the garage and Kurt was glad for once because the tension between his boyfriend and his brother just kept rising with every glee meeting since the beginning of the school year and Kurt was just waiting for it to trickle into Friday night dinners.

Kurt had spoken to both boys and Blaine had only said he didn’t really want to put Kurt in the position to be between him and his brother but then gone on to complain about how Finn treated him as an outsider in New Directions. Finn, on the other hand, had denied everything even when Kurt had used warm milk which usually made Finn tell him anything.

They watched a marathon of Doctor Who that was playing on BBC America. Blaine had introduced Kurt to the British show while they were both at Dalton, and that summer in between Blaine’s Six Flags gigs and Kurt working on the Pippa Middleton musical, Blaine had gotten Kurt into the new series.

What really made Kurt love it was how consistent the show was. Every detail meant something even if you didn’t think it did. They were just finishing an episode when his dad and Finn got home.

“Shower first,” he shouted at Finn in a way of greeting and at his father actually called out a “hi, dad, how was work?”

“Same old, same old. Finn’s getting better though. And yeah, I know, shower. Hey, Blaine.”

“Hi, Mr. Hummel!”

It was lucky there were two full bathrooms in the house, the one in the master bedroom and the one Kurt had to share with Finn. That way when Finn came down his hair dripping everywhere, it wasn’t long before his dad did.

He and Blaine set up the table, passing each other things in a well practiced manner. One night Blaine hadn’t been able to make dinner, Kurt remembered, and it had thrown everything off for him. When Finn appeared with his towel draped over his shoulder everything was ready and he went to help him mom bring out the food.

“Everything looks delicious, Carole,” Blaine said before taking his seat next to Kurt.

She beamed at him. “Thank you, Blaine.”

Kurt loved how much his family liked Blaine. He’d won over Carole almost instantly with his charm and manners. His dad on the other hand had slowly warmed up to him after all the distress that he’d caused Kurt and his pushiness towards Kurt having to have a sex talk. But all in all, they’d found a common ground in sports and cars. Above all though it was the way Blaine looked at Kurt that had really gotten Burt to admit that Blaine wasn’t only a good kid, but that he was just the kind of guy that Kurt deserved.

“We got a new member in glee,” Finn announced when his mom asked him if there was anything new going on. “He’s from Ireland.”

“Oh?” Burt asked.

“He’s an exchange student staying with Brittany’s family,” Kurt explained, “he’s really nice, so of course he’s being picked on.”

Burt looked pensive for a moment and then he addressed just Kurt and Blaine, “is this kid like the two of you?”

“No,” Kurt said, “well, we don’t think so. He’s just different so of course he’s being bullied. It’s not even just the jocks either. Santana said something to him the other day that sounded a bit mean.”

“But it’s Santana,” Finn said, “she’s mean to everyone.”

Kurt shook his head. “He’s the new kid who lives with Brittany, Santana was way out of line. She basically told him no one cares about him.”

“And no one deserves to hear that. Especially not the new kid.”

After that came more talk about Burt’s campaign. Kurt had already begun working on posters and campaign ads though he hadn’t shown them to his dad yet for final approval before they sent them out to be printed.

“We’re not going to be home a lot,” he told them, “Carole and I might be spending some nights out of town next week. Now I know you’re all teenagers and I know the kinds of things that happen when parents are out of town—” he gave a pointed look at Blaine and Kurt, but it was Blaine who blushed a dark red “—and I don’t want any shenanigans happening. Do you hear?”

It had become a joke among the Hudmel house in about Blaine’s foray into drinking at Rachel’s party. Blaine still blushed and hung his head when it was mentioned.

All three of them nodded.

“I’m trusting you,” Burt said, “all three of you.”

“Dad, Blaine’s parents are out of town constantly and we’ve never abused that have we?” Kurt asked, “nothing will happen. Puck’s too busy with Beth and Rachel has the musical to worry about. No parties.”

What his dad wasn’t considering, though, was that a house alone could be used for more than just parties. Kurt and Blaine had kept their physical relationship pretty tame so far, but of late Kurt had started to think that maybe he wanted more. This could be the perfect opportunity to even begin talking about it.


	3. Scarring Thoughts

“Where’s Blaine?”

Kurt was startled when he heard Rory, but he turned to face the other boy regardless, “he went to visit some friends at Dalton. I was supposed to go with him but I have a test in math I couldn’t miss. They invited him when he went to drop off their invites for West Side Story.”

Kurt had been surprised when Blaine had decided to skip the last few periods of the day including glee to go back to Dalton to hang out with his friends. He knew Blaine missed them and sometimes he wondered if it had been a mistake to ask Blaine to transfer, especially when Blaine would skip school for them. Still, Kurt had been all for going with him until he saw his planner that morning and realized he had a test that wouldn’t be easily made up.

“Oh,” Rory said.

“Did you need him for something?”

Rory shrugged. “Not really. I just wanted to ask about a CD he lent me at rehearsal yesterday, but I can ask another time.”

Rory seemed shifty, moving from foot to foot. It was some sort of nervous habit, Kurt thought, but he couldn’t figure out why it unnerved him so much.

“Will he get in trouble?” Rory asked.

Kurt shook his head. “The magic of having Rachel Berry play the lead in a school musical is that everyone knows how committed she is. She’s been having Blaine miss classes that she deems unimportant for practice time.”

Kurt also couldn’t deny that there was something going on with Blaine and Rachel which had started after their last rehearsal. Kurt could still remember the intense look in Blaine’s eyes when he’d told Kurt that his fantasy about Taylor Lautner was hot.

“She’s scary,” Rory said. Kurt couldn’t help but agree.

“Hey, Rory,” he said, “I might not be able to do something for you, but you might be able to help me out.”

Rory was kind of like a puppy, Kurt thought, watching him perk up at the mention that he could be of help. It reminded Kurt of something or someone.

“See, I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this because usually I’d go to Blaine but it concerns him and I don’t really know if he’ll understand where I’m coming from. And Rachel and I aren’t talking because she’s running against me. And Mercedes was my friend but she’s so busy with her boyfriend and I had my own drama to deal with. Anyway, you’re my friend right, Rory?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Kurt nodded and closed his locker. It was right before rehearsal and Kurt was supposed to be working on last minute adjustments to the set anyway so he thought it’d be okay if they were late.

“Well, I’ve been thinking that maybe I want to take our relationship to the next level, you know, but Blaine kind of acts like I’m this porcelain doll that he’s afraid to break.”

Kurt didn’t dare look at Rory. He had to get this out before he started blushing and stuttering around his words and he knew if he looked at Rory it would make those things happen.

“I mean we kind of set up some rules, you know, because I’m kind of uncomfortable with that sort of thing, but then lately I’ve just been wondering if maybe it isn’t all that scary. It’s Blaine and I love him and I know he loves me back. So wouldn’t all of it just be perfect?”

Rory didn’t respond, unless his slight squeak could be considered a response, so Kurt kept talking.

“But sex is just this really big step, you know, and my dad told me not to throw myself around, but it’s Blaine and I just, I’m always safe with him and I know he would make it a moment that mattered. I just don’t know what to do. What do you think Rory?”

Kurt finally looked at Rory then and he was shocked to find a paler than usual Rory, eyes wide and filled with an emotion he couldn’t get a grasp for, his mouth gaping. He cleared his throat.

“I…I can’t help you,” he squeaked out. His voice was high pitched, higher than even Kurt’s, and then he turned on his heel and practically ran down the hall.

Kurt stared after him in confusion and then realized his set helper was running away. “Rory!” he called, “the auditorium’s the other way!”

He sighed and dug his phone out of his pocket as he began to walk in the opposite direction of the one Rory had gone. Blaine had planned out the perfect day to go see the Warblers. Although rehearsal was crucial, he’d picked the day when Santana and Mike were the main focus of rehearsal. Rachel of course made them practice some of her scenes as well.

There was only one new message on his phone. It was from Blaine.

Meet me at the Lima Bean. NOW!!!!

Kurt frowned, confused and worried and then he sighed. Without Rory there wasn’t much he’d get done anyway, he decided, and he walked instead towards the nearest exit and then out to his car. Whatever Blaine needed, it must have been important. He stared at the text, eyes focused on the capitalized ‘now’ and the exclamation points that followed it. He hoped everything would be alright.

\- - -

Rory was traumatized. He shook himself. It was no use, he couldn’t get the words out of his head. This was worse than when his Dad and Papa had sat him down to give him The Talk. So much worse.

“Gah!”

He didn’t want to know about this. He didn’t want to hear about anything to do with his parent’s sex life, even if they were teenagers. He shuddered. Gross.

It was a day later and Rory was still trying hard to bury his dad’s words and not think about them again, but it was hard, especially when Kurt was just a few feet away fixing one of Rachel’s costumes where there had been a minor tear.

Rory finished giving one of the wood set pieces it’s second hand of paint and he grinned a little to himself.

“What do you think?” he called out to Kurt.

Kurt glanced over, “exactly what it needed. Looks much better.”

Rory didn’t respond because Blaine was walking towards them, then, and Rory really was in awe of seeing his Papa. It was hard, he was finding, to not just stare at him sometimes.

“Sebastian just texted me,” he told Kurt, “and I have no idea how he got my number, but apparently he got us fake IDs.”

Rory didn’t know how to react because he knew exactly what his parents would do to him if he ever got a fake ID. Dad would skin him alive after yelling his ears off and Papa would shake his head disappointed and not say anything about it for a few days before he brought it up again and made some sort of joke about it that Dad would reprimand him for.

Yet there they were talking about the fake IDs that some guy named Sebastian had gotten them.

“Where are you guys going?” he asked.

His Papa bit down on his lower lip. Kurt on the other hand rolled his eyes. “We’re going to a gay bar in Lima Heights. Blaine’s new friend Sebastian—” he seemed to growl the name “—invited us.”

“You didn’t have to say yes,” Blaine said.

Rory didn’t know what to think. First his dad was trying to talk to him about wanting to sleep with his Papa and now they were talking about going to a gay bar in a bad part of town where some underage drinking was bound to happen. To him his parents had never seemed the kind to go to a bar or get drunk during high school. He’d never imagined that they would have fake IDs even.

“When are we getting the IDs?” Kurt asked. He wasn’t looking at Blaine or Rory but instead at the dress he’d been sewing.

“Tonight. He said to meet him at the Lima Bean.”

“Okay.”

Blaine nodded, lingering awkwardly before he turned on his heel and walked back towards Rachel and Artie, though he looked back as he went. Rory didn’t like what he was seeing one bit.

“Sebastian was all over him,” Dad said suddenly, “and I mean, I know Blaine would never stray. He’s not that kind of guy, but Sebastian is just all worldly and Blaine’s just so nice to everyone and he’d going to try and befriend this guy regardless of anything I say and I just don’t even want to think about the possibility of losing him.”

This was a far better conversation that the one they’d had the day before, but still Rory didn’t know what to say. How did he go about reassuring his father? He couldn’t very well tell him that he had nothing to worry about because in the future he would marry Blaine and have him. So, instead he settled for:

“So, the way to solve all of this is going to a gay bar?”

Kurt let out a long breath and his face twisted into a worried frown. “It such a terrible idea, I know, but when he asked I couldn’t just let Blaine say no. He thinks I’m some boring guy that, I don’t know, stays home and knits and he’s lived in Paris and he goes to bars and…”

“And what?” Rory asked.

His dad looked unsure for a moment, before he continued, “and maybe that’s what Blaine wants and I just want him to know I can be that guy. I can be fun. We can do more than just talk on the phone while I do my nightly skin regime.”

Rory had never seen his dad look so vulnerable. Well, no. He had seen him worse when Papa died, but that was different from this sort of defeated look. Rory wanted to give him the reassurance, to let him know that he didn’t have to worry now.

“He loves you,” he settled for, “Kurt, I’ve only known the two of you for a little while, but even I can see that the two of you belong together. And some random guy that might have the hots for Blaine won’t break the two of you up.”

Kurt nodded. “You’re right. I just worry sometimes. He’s too good for me.”

Rory didn’t get to respond to that, and he didn’t have anything to say anyway. Artie called Kurt over and Kurt just shrugged at Rory.

“Is Kurt okay?”

Rory was surprised to see Rachel and even more surprised to hear her talking to him. She hadn’t said much to him past welcoming him to New Directions, but Finn had told him it was because she was busy with the musical.

“I think so, he’s just feeling insecure about him and Blaine.”

Rachel pursed her lips. “Oh,” she said and then, “I wish Kurt were talking to me. I have no one to talk to anymore. He’s my best friend, you know.”

Finn had sort of filled Rory in on why Kurt and Rachel weren’t on speaking terms and he found the entire thing ridiculous though he still blamed Rachel for the entire mess. Finn, he suspected, did too.

“I really miss him. But I can’t just drop out of the election. I need it for NYADA. I don’t know why he doesn’t understand that. I’m not doing anything wrong.”

Rory was glad that the Rachel he knew in the future had mellowed out some. She was still the passionate diva with the amazing singing voice, but there was humbleness there too. It probably had something to do with having reached her goal or something as silly as growing up.

\- - -

“Brittany has absolutely no idea what to do next,” Santana said.

They were sitting in the Pierce’s basement and Brittany was off tinkering with a watch that had a My Little Pony animation on it, at another table.

“She never does,” Rory informed her and looked at the half build machine that Brittany wasn’t even focusing on. He tried hard to remember if they had ever told him when Brittany had finished making it.

Santana was sitting primly on a stool still in her cheerleading outfit. Rory hated the outfit. It made both of his Aunts look really hot and Rory really needed to stop thinking like that.

“So, what’s the future like, McFly?”

Rory stared at her.

“It’s a movie,” she rolled her eyes, “probably too old in your time, it’s about time travel.”

“Oh,” Rory said and then, “I can’t tell you.”

Santana rolled her eyes, “Listen, you’re stuck in the past and you obviously know who we are. I’m not stupid, future kid, you’re way too comfortable here which means you have to be related to one of us. Also, you’re changing everything by just being here aren’t you?”

Brittany dropped the watch. “The little ponies don’t want to be tickled anymore,” she said as way of explanation.

Rory who was used to a Brittany that made the slightest bit more sense blinked at her and Santana just took it all in stride. Rory wondered if she ever understood what Brittany was talking about.

“We have to go, now,” Brittany insisted then, “it’s like the story, the elves have to come out and make things now.”

They had no choice but to follow Brittany up to the kitchen and Rory felt for the first time how real a possibility it was that Brittany might not build the machine for months if not years. The worst thing was that it couldn’t be forced. Brittany needed to do it naturally and nothing could speed her up as she invented. Rory missed his Papa more than ever and a horrible thought struck him: what if he never got home? He’d be stuck in this time growing older with his parents and then what? What happened when he was born?

Worse: would had Papa still die and would his dad be left alone after that Rory made the same mistake? Rory couldn’t bear it. He had to get home.

“You’ll figure it out, Brittany,” he said gently.

She stared at him confused and he shook his head.

Santana in the meanwhile had been staring at him thoughtfully. “Well,” she said, “you can’t be Berry’s kid, you’re not a hobbit.”

Rory gapped at her. “Santana please stop guessing.”

She only continued, watching him as she mentioned everyone in the glee club. It was a good thing he was a good actor because he would have given himself away otherwise.

It wasn’t until Santana was leaving later and mentioned going to visit her abuela in Lima Heights that Rory remembered it was the night his parents were going to the gay bar. He was tempted for a moment to ask Santana to take him with her, but he stopped himself realizing that doing just that would interfere with the cause of things.

Instead, he hung out with Brittany and her enormous cat, Lord Tubbington, and tried to make sense of the low quality picture of the tv in the living room in comparison to what he’d been used to in the future. Around midnight he and Brittany headed to bed but Rory couldn’t settle himself down wondering how his dad was and how everything had worked out.

Rory had never heard about a Sebastian from either of his parents in the future so he knew the other boy had to inconsequential, but still there was always the worry that he being there could have changed something.

When he finally drifted off it was to the familiar nightmare of seeing his Papa’s bruised and battered body on the hospital bed.

\- - -

Blaine was the biggest asshole, or at least that’s how he felt as he tried to figure out in what direction he needed to go to get himself home. It’d been stupid to leave Kurt, stupider still to get drunk and try to get his boyfriend to sleep with him in the back seat of his car. Why was he so damn stupid? He couldn’t even figure out how he was going to get home.

A familiar car pulled over and Blaine almost groaned, because of course it was Kurt. Kurt was a good boyfriend. He wouldn’t just leave Blaine to do something stupid even after what he’d done earlier. For a moment, he considered refusing to get into his own car.

“Come on,” Kurt said, “I won’t even talk to you if you don’t want me to, just get in. Your house is practically an hour away on foot and I have to drop off your car and get mine anyway. It’s not out of my way. Blaine, please.”

He got into the car, dropping into the passenger seat and immediately he felt as if everything would be alright. All the fears that had risen up as he wondered what would happen to him disappeared and it was all because of Kurt. Kurt, his boyfriend, who he loved. The boyfriend he’d tried to take advantage of. He was such a douche. Blaine couldn’t understand how it was possible for Kurt to still want to take him home; how it was possible that Kurt was even his boyfriend at all.

Blaine was silent on the ride to his house, sure that if he opened his mouth he’d make a mess of things again. He was always messing things up.

When they got there, Kurt parked the car in its usual spot and turned off the ignition. Blaine took off the seatbelt that Kurt had put on him at a red light and opened the door. By the time he was stumbling out of the car, Kurt was there, an arm wrapping around Blaine’s waist.

“Come on, Blaine Warbler,” Kurt said, “I’ll help you get inside.”

“Not a Warbler anymore,” Blaine said.

Kurt nodded and looked thoughtfully at Blaine, “well, Blaine New Directions sounds weird.”

Blaine didn’t respond.

Kurt lead him into the house and then up the stairs to his own room, and then after sitting him down on the soft bed, walked around the room, grabbing Blaine his pajamas which he then proceeded to help Blaine change into. Blaine let him help, not knowing just how to tell Kurt that, no, he was alright, he didn’t need the help. It had only been one beer.

But Kurt got him down to his underwear and then he helped him into Finding Nemo pajama pants and a soft cotton shirt.

“Come on, Blaine, in bed now.”

He followed Kurt’s directions as Kurt settled him in his bed, tucking his covers in as he would for a child.

“Do I get a story now?” he asked cheekily, before he could stop himself.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Nope. I have to get home. Finn said he was cooking for Rachel and I’m pretty much convinced that means the house will be burnt to the ground by the time I get back.”

Blaine pouted his lips and turned on his side in the bed. He couldn’t understand why Kurt was acting as if nothing had happened. The bed dipped and Blaine lifted his head. Kurt leaned towards him and kissed his forehead. Kurt ran his fingers through his stiffened hair and Blaine realized then that there was still gel in his hair. It was going to be a mess to take care of in the morning.

“Well, I have to go. We’ll talk about this later, alright?”

Blaine nodded. He’d been so stupid. There was no way he deserved Kurt.

“I’m still miffed at you,” Kurt added, but then kissed his cheek and left the room.

For a moment Blaine considered calling him back, but he shook the thought. He didn’t deserve for Kurt to be so comforting and good to him. He burrowed into his pillow and closed his eyes. His head throbbed a little, but he ignored it. Blaine resolved that he’d make it up to Kurt the next time he saw him. It took him a few minutes, but then he was asleep.


	4. Show Time

Rory was more nervous about the fact that his parents weren’t talking to each other, than his role in West Side Story by the time opening night rolled around. But with all the running around he was doing to help with last minute things, he couldn’t focus on either Blaine or Kurt except to know that they were ignoring each other which worked well because Rachel wouldn’t let Blaine out of her sight, and Kurt was trying to avoid both of them.

It was absolutely amazing watching Blaine perform during the moments Rory could peek out on onto the stage. He was like nothing Rory had ever seen before and he had to wonder why it was that his Papa hadn’t become an actor. He certainly had the talent for it.

He sang everything with a strong confident voice, feeling poured into every line and Rory could only gape in awe because despite having heard Papa sing before in the future it had never been like this. He and Rachel complimented each other well. His dad, though, stole every scene he was in. Rory had been surprised at the small role he’d taken, but he wasn’t surprised at how much the audience responded to him.

More interesting than seeing their performance was watching his Dad while Blaine was on stage. He looked proud and in awe, love shinning in his eyes as he watched on and smiled, still supporting Blaine even though they weren’t talking. It gave Rory hope that whatever it was would be resolved.

When the final bow was taken and the curtain dropped they all erupted into congratulatory bouts to the leads, and Rory spotted Kurt getting out of the fray. He followed after him.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Kurt turned and smiled. “Do you really think I would stay in this outfit for much longer?”

Rory saw right through the smile and the planned quip, but he decided not to pry.

“Oh. Well, are you going to the celebration party later?” He asked instead.

Kurt shrugged.

“You wouldn’t go just to keep avoiding Blaine,” Rory said, then, only because he’d had enough with the two of them skirting around each other and it’d only been a day.

“Actually, because I was planning on talking to Blaine,” Kurt said, “and I don’t know what that might lead to.”

Rory’s mind immediately went back to the last conversation they’d had about Blaine and he tried hard not to cringe lest he come off as a homophobe or something.

“Oh.”

Kurt smiled gently. “It’s really nice of you to care so much, Rory, you’re a good friend.”

Rory stared after him for a while. It was really strange being friends with Kurt and Blaine, knowing what their future would hold and what role he would play in that future.

He heard footsteps and looked back to see that they audience had started trickling out of the theater, some trying to find an exit in the crowd and others standing still waiting for their children to come out.

Mike Chang was one of the first to exit the stage with Tina and the two of them rushed towards an Asian woman that Mike hugged hard. Tina hugged her next and the three talked enthusiastically. Rory smiled to himself but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment and hurt at knowing that his dad and papa wouldn’t be there for him after this role with smiles and hugs.

Instead he watched as more of his castmates came out to meet with family. Some like Blaine who came out almost last walked through the cast, thanking praise from the random people in the crowd as he headed to the locker room to change. He wasn’t the only one without parents.

Rory had just decided to go get out of costume and back into his regular clothes when he spotted a bunch of boys in the familiar Dalton blazer. Papa’s friends. For a moment he wondered why Blaine hadn’t waited to see them.

“Where do you think he is?” one of the boys asked another.

“I don’t know, but he and Kurt just disappeared. I don’t think I saw Kurt’s family anywhere.”

Another one responded, “His dad’s running for Congress. I think he’s out campaigning.”

Rory continued to listen in. One of them had to be Sebastian and he wanted to know which one.

“Maybe we should just go, then,” A blond boy said, “it’s crazy in here and if that Berry girl spots us, you know she’ll throw a fit.”

Another shook his head, “I miss Kurt,” he said, “I wanted to see Kurt.”

Rory watched them while trying not to look as if he were listening in and he saw one of them make a face at the mention of Kurt.

“Text one of them,” the blond boy said and Rory thought that he looked really familiar but he couldn’t place him as someone he’d met in the future.

Rory decided to act. If one of those boys was Sebastian, then he knew that he was bound to cause trouble just by his very presence. His dad and papa needed to finally have some sort of conversation and solve their problems and Sebastian wasn’t going to help any.

“Sorry,” he said, “I overheard you talking about Kurt and Blaine. I’m in glee with them. You shouldn’t bother waiting for them, they left right after to set up for the after party.”

One of them gasped, “in costume? Kurt would never.”

Rory shrugged. “It’s what they told me.”

The group of boys looked unsure, but they sighed. “Let them know we were waiting for them, then,” the blond boy from earlier said.

He nodded. “Sure.”

Rory watched them as they headed in the direction of the exit and he sighed to himself. He wondered if he had been right to do that for a moment, if it would change anything. He let himself worry about it for a moment and wonder what it could have changed, and then he went into the locker room to get out of his own costume.

“Coming to the party?” Mike asked him when he’d changed and gathered his things after hanging the costume for the next day.

“I think so,” he said.

“Cool. See you then. I have to go find Tina.” He paused at the door, “do you need a ride?”

Rory really liked Mike. Out of everyone in New Directions, he was one of the nicest. He seemed to care about everyone and didn’t easily fall into all the drama that seemed to surround the club.

“Uh, yeah. I don’t know where Brittany or Santana went.”

He scrambled to follow Mike and they found Tina easily enough. For a moment Rory had to wonder if he should stick around to see what happened with Kurt and Blaine, but he decided to leave it all to solve itself, he’d already done enough telling the Warblers to leave.

\- - -

It hadn’t been his intention to tell Blaine he wanted to go back to his house with the implication that for once they’d be doing far more than just a heated make out session. When he decided to go find Blaine after he’d gotten all the makeup off and made sure that not only his costume was hung carefully but so was everyone else’s, the only thing Kurt had wanted to accomplish was to make sure that they were talking again. He was sick of how Blaine started ignoring him the moment they saw each other the day after the incident outside Scandals.

“Drive to my house first to drop off my car?” Kurt asked once they were outside.

Their cars were just two of the few still in the parking lot and they weren’t parked anywhere near each other.

“Yeah,” Blaine said, but pulled Kurt back against him, “I’ll miss you.”

Kurt shook his head and laughed, “It’s going to take ten minutes.”

“I know, but a whole day without is not something I can really handle.”

Kurt smiled a bit and leaned down to kiss him, a quick kiss that ended almost as soon as it had begun because they were still in the school parking lot and there was no need to chance it.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said and pulled himself out of Blaine’s arms. He walked towards his car and looked back a few times to see Blaine getting into his own.

When they got to Kurt’s house, the only car in the driveway was Finn’s truck and Kurt wondered for a moment why he hadn’t gone with Rachel to Artie’s party, but when he went inside to pick up a few necessities like a change of clothes, and his travel skin care bag, he only knew Finn was really home because music was blasting from his room.

Blaine was grinning when Kurt got back outside and climbed into the passenger seat of his car.

“I think something happened with Finn,” Kurt said, “but I’ll check on him later.”

Blaine nodded and then looked at the things Kurt was holding. “What’s all that?”

“It’s just in case I spend the night,” Kurt said and tried to fight the blush that he knew his porcelain skin would display well.

“I see,” Blaine said and then smiled brightly, “it wouldn’t be you if you didn’t bring an outfit for this.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, “just drive.”

The closer they got to Blaine’s house the more real it all became. They were going to have sex. Kurt almost couldn’t believe it, but then when he looked at Blaine he could.

“I love you,” he said.

Blaine looked in his direction for a moment. “I love you too.” And then he reached for Kurt’s hand, not letting go until they’d reached his house.

Once they were inside, the nerves returned, fluttering in Kurt’s stomach and he didn’t know what to do when he knew that not only were there nerves but also excitement. Then it suddenly hit him. They were going to have sex. Blaine was going to see every single flaw on his body once all of his layers had been got rid of. Maybe there was some way they could do it half dressed. Kurt for a moment wished he had brought his kilt.

“We don’t have to do anything,” Blaine said when they reached his room. He pushed the door open, “we can just lay down and cuddle if you want.”

“No, I want to,” Kurt said almost at once because looked at Blaine’s eyes as they darted nervously he suddenly realized he wasn’t the only one preparing to go through with this.

Blaine was with him, just as nervous and just as excited, and just as worried about silly things like what he would look like naked.

“I’m ready Blaine, but if you aren’t then…”

Blaine shook his head. “No, no, I am. I just…Kurt you’re so beautiful and I’m just this short…”

Kurt stopped him, letting out a giggle. They were perfect for each other. “You’re amazing,” Kurt said, “I’m the one that won’t compare to you.”

Kurt felt himself blush again, but this time he didn’t mind. Instead he leaned in to kiss Blaine and he sighed into the kiss because this was something he could do forever. When they pulled back, Blaine took his hand and led him towards the bed.

Kurt sat down on the edge even though he’d sat on that bed more times than he could count and he leaned down to undo his shoes, but Blaine was already there, smiling up at Kurt as he undid them carefully and set them aside. He ran his hands up Kurt’s legs up to his knees.

“Blaine,” Kurt breathed and then leaned back on the bed, “come here.”

Blaine kicked off his shoes, not caring where they landed as he climbed onto the bed next to Kurt and then leaned towards him to kiss him again. Kurt wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing back and pulling him even closer so that Blaine was practically lying on him. After a few minutes, Kurt pushed him gently away and Blaine rolled onto his back. Kurt sat up and looked nervously at Blaine before he took off his vest and throwing it in the direction of Blaine’s chair. Next came his shirt. He didn’t look at Blaine as he threw that article of clothing towards the chair too.

“So many layers,” Blaine muttered with a grin, when Kurt stopped at his undershirt, “but I bet I can rip your clothes off now.”

Kurt laughed and leaned to drop a chaste kiss on Blaine’s lips, “you’re not going to let me forget I said that, are you?”

Blaine shook his head and reached for Kurt again, pulling him down to lay next to him. “You really are amazing,” he said, “and I am so sorry for what I did that night.”

Kurt nuzzled into his neck. “Stop apologizing.” A moment later he added, “and off with your shirt.

Kurt helped Blaine pull it off and threw it to the end of the bed. They were kissing again suddenly, these kisses harder and full of passion, tongues meeting in a familiar dance before Blaine sucked at Kurt’s bottom lip, extracting a moan. They continued to kiss for a while, until Blaine moved to kiss at Kurt’s throat, licking and sucking at a particular spot that he knew made Kurt moan. He left his mark there and then pulled at the undershirt Kurt had kept on to find more of the perfect skin that he loved.

Kurt let Blaine take the undershirt off and drop it aside without care as he stared at the skin revealed. He ran his hand down from his collar to his flat stomach, taking in the muscles that he hadn’t thought were there and the perfectly toned waist and then he began to pepper kisses everywhere.

“Want you so bad,” Blaine groaned out.

Kurt met his eyes and he was surprised to see the want and need there because he had never once in his life thought that he could get to this point, to have someone need him and want him like Blaine did.

Blaine began undoing Kurt’s pants and Kurt reached down to help his trembling hands, before he went to work on Blaine’s.

“I’ve thought about this so much, Kurt, you don’t even know,” Blaine breathed as he folded Kurt’s pants and threw them at the chair.

“Oh yeah?”

Blaine nodded. “Yes, but having you here in my bed like this, it’s so much better.”

They were kissing again, then, and Kurt ran his hands over Blaine’s chest, until he finally pushed the wife beater upwards, hands running over the warm skin of Blaine’s back. Blaine moved away for a second to take off the wife beater and then he was back.

\- - -

Blaine handed Kurt socks and watched as his boyfriend put them on standing up and almost fell as he did.

“Thanks,” Kurt breathed and then pulled on his undershirt before crawling back on the bed.

Blaine finished putting on his pants again and returned to the bed, dropping next to Kurt on his side of the recently remade bed. He reached for Kurt’s hands and held them, just taking in the moment.

He couldn’t believe it had happened, except that it had. Kurt turned a little so he was closer. Their faces were right next to each other on the pillows, noses almost touching.

Kurt shifted closer. “It was amazing,” he said, and it was the first allusion to what had happened an hour ago.

“Hmm.”

“You were amazing,” Kurt continued, “I didn’t think it’d be like that. God, if I had known.” He laughed.

“Kurt,” Blaine said and shook his head.

When Kurt had suggested it earlier, Blaine hadn’t known quite what to do, especially after he’d pushed Kurt earlier in the week, but once they were in his room together everything just fell like puzzle pieces.

“You were,” Kurt insisted, “and you have an amazing ass too.”

Blaine couldn’t help but blush. Kurt never really spoke like this and Blaine found it insanely hot that he was so comfortable doing so now.

“Really?” he asked.

Kurt nodded and his cheeks were tinted the slightest bit pink.

“Yours isn’t bad either,” Blaine mumbled.

One of their phones on the bedside table went off and Kurt groaned.

“Probably my dad,” he said and rolled over to answer it.

Burt and Carole hadn’t been able to make it back to Ohio for opening night, but they’d be there the next night and while they were gone, Burt called Kurt at least twice a day. Blaine was almost jealous because neither of his parents called unless they had to while they were gone, but then he remembered that when they did call it ended in some sort of argument.

“It went really well,” Kurt was saying into the phone, “how’s everything with you?”

Blaine tried to wait patiently while Kurt was on the phone, but watching Kurt made it hard and he wrapped himself around his boyfriend, dropping butterfly kisses to his neck and just breathing Kurt in because at that moment he was just purely Kurt and it was the best smell ever.

“Don’t worry about that, dad. We’re fine. See you tomorrow.” He dropped his phone on the bedside table and turned to Blaine.

Blaine nuzzled closer.

“Come on, dad just asked if I had a good dinner and I just realized we actually haven’t eaten anything, so we’re going down to your kitchen and I’m making us something good.”

Blaine groaned, but his stomach chose that moment to growl. “Can’t we just order something?”

“What did you have for dinner last night?” Kurt asked.

Blaine chose not to answer, because he knew Kurt wouldn’t approve of the Chinese he’d ordered.

“Exactly,” Kurt said and pulled at Blaine’s hand as he led them down the stairs and to the kitchen.

\- - -

Motta was a horrible last name and Sugar still didn’t really understand why her Mami had insisted that she use it, except that it had come in handy when she arrived at the end of the summer before her mom and mami’s senior year and Mom’s uncle had agreed to help her. Uncle Kurt and Mami had written a letter that she wasn’t allowed to open and her great uncle had agreed almost at once to help her out.

Sugar didn’t understand just how time worked and she hated thinking about it because it was the most confusing thing in the world, but she knew one thing: they had known it was going to happen. At least, she thought that they must have known something, because telling her to form another glee club at McKinley had nothing to do with getting Rory back home, and yet it was one of the bullet points on the list Uncle Kurt had given her, right ahead of staying as far away from Rory for as long as possible when he finally arrived.

“Watch him,” Uncle Kurt had said, “make sure he’s doing okay, but don’t approach him.”

Unlike Rory, Sugar wasn’t a performer. She wasn’t a good singer and she was certainly not a good actress, but she was getting more practice at it than she had ever imagined and it was harder than anything she’d ever done, but it was imperative that no one found out.

Harder still was being alone. Mami was so wary of her because she was from the future that she didn’t want to talk to her unless it had something to do with glee, and Mom never really made sense when she did talk. Mercedes was nicer to her, but Sugar had never known Mercedes in the future much less Shelby and she couldn’t go anywhere near her Uncles.

She spotted them, then, walking together from the cafeteria, Uncle Blaine holding a wrapped sandwich and water bottle.

“Can’t we do this after school, Kurt? I don’t think the librarian will like it if I bring food with me.”

Sugar watched them from afar. It wasn’t fair that they were already so much like their future selves. Her Mami and Mom still had a long way to go to be the women she knew in the future but there were Kurt and Blaine acting like the old married couple they would become. Worse was seeing them with Rory, because Rory had managed to make his parents his friends. It wasn’t fair.

Rory was almost a year younger than Sugar and for most of her life, Rory had always been the baby, the one to look after. Sugar hadn’t grown up with him exactly, but when he was around he’d always been the one that everyone took care of. It wasn’t just his dads but her moms too. Sugar was beginning to think it all had to do with this time travel thing.

“Well,” Kurt said, “if you want, I could go to the library. You’re welcome to eat lunch with the rest of the glee club.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “Not what I meant, and you know it. Fine, but if I don’t get to eat my lunch, you’ll pay for it later.”

They walked past her not even glancing in her direction and Sugar sighed. She wanted desperately to run after them and try and start a conversation about anything. She couldn’t, of course, but oh did she want to.

Sugar continued to walk in the opposite direction, towards her locker for lack of anything better to do and she paused when she saw Rory. He was distractedly walking with Finn and luckily didn’t look her way, but she hurried away. She didn’t understand why it was important, but it had to be if her Mami and Uncle Kurt had stressed it so much, so she ducked into the nearest classroom and waited until she was sure he had walked past.


	5. Mash Off

Rory hadn’t thought about Sugar once since Santana had first mentioned her upon his arrival, that when he saw her on the stage where Mr. Shuester had asked them to meet him, he was stunned. He couldn’t even react when Santana started picking on Finn, staring at her. She was standing behind Mercedes and her moms and from the moment she’d stepped on the stage, did not glance in his direction.

Rory though watched her, not believing for a moment that he had forgotten about her, that he hadn’t tried to find her as soon as Santana had mentioned she was in the past as well.

It had all been so overwhelming, though. First there had been being in the past, then there was Santana and Brittany and the whole story they’d weaved for him. Then, he’d started at school and he was suddenly faced with his parents – his very alive Papa. Not for a moment had he had time to think about Sugar and until seeing her on the stage that day he didn’t even know that she’d been attending McKinley much less that she had joined the Troubletones.

He resolved to talk to her as soon as he could. Rory had never been a big fan of Sugar, but he’d tolerated her growing up and now she was the only person that could possibly understand what he was going through and boy did he need to rant about how despite all the wonderful things like having so much blackmail on everyone was overshadowed by things like his dad wanting his advice on sex.

He tried to catch her once they were dismissed, and he didn’t know how she’d done it, but she disappeared almost immediately. With her went Brittany and Santana.

“Looking for someone?”

Rory jumped.

Uncle Finn grinned at him, “sorry,” he said, “Brittany and Santana left pretty quickly do you need a ride?”

Rory always needed a ride. Brittany gave him rides to school, or Santana if she happened to be picking up Brittany and Rory by far liked that option best, but both girls seemed to think that he could get himself back to Brittany’s on his own.

“Yeah. Thanks, Finn Hudson.”

“No problem. Hey, do you maybe want to come over? A few of the guys and I are going to stuff ourselves with junk food and play video games. Better than going to Brittany’s.”

Rory smiled widely. “Sure! Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

“Cool.”

When he got to the Hudmel house, Rory expected to see his parents there, but there wasn’t even a trace of Dad’s car outside and half an hour later when the rest of the glee guys had arrived, he realized that they weren’t coming.

The games weren’t that different from what he had in the future, though they were played on different bigger consoles and CDs were still being used. In the future, everything was downloadable directly to the device. But they were still games about war with alright graphics and Rory picked up on how to play after a few rounds.

He was still worried about Sugar and what he was going to say to her once he finally did get to talk to her, but he let himself get lost to the games and the bowls and bags of assorted junk food that Puck and Mike had brought with them when they arrived. The guys were all really cool, and Rory was really growing to like Mike more and more and he wished he’d known him in the future.

“How are you liking America, Rory?” Artie asked.

Rory had gotten better at interacting with Artie during the play, but he was still nervous about talking to this boy that would become an amazing director.

“It’s really quaint,” he answered, using a word that his dad liked to use sometimes, “it’s different, that’s for sure and I miss my family, but I like it.”

Artie smiled. “You’ll see them soon though and isn’t it kind of nice not having parents around telling you what to do? I know Britt’s won’t really say anything to you.”

Once, before his Papa had died and before he’d been thrown into the past without the comfort of either his Dad or Papa, Rory would have gladly said that yeah being without parents was the best thing ever. The thing was: it wasn’t.

Yeah there were moments when he could decide to stay up late and just watch tv, or he could leave the house without the extra sweater and without having to be perfectly dressed, but all of that didn’t matter when he didn’t have any idea what to do to get back to his time and the two people he would have relied on to help him out of the mess weren’t there.

“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” he responded and took the control that Puck handed him.

Puck had been acting strange all day and he stared dreamily out the window then. Rory really didn’t want to connect all of this to the song he’d done earlier, but he knew it probably did have something to do with it. He’d been shocked when Finn told him about Quinn and Puck having a baby and Shelby Corcoran being the mother, because it was one tidbit he’d never heard about Quinn Fabray, but he knew they were going through a hard time now that the baby and the adoptive mother were back in Lima.

There really was too much drama in glee.

Kurt and Blaine walked in later that afternoon carrying groceries. Grandma Hummel walked in after them and Rory knew he was doing a great impression of a fish because this woman looked nothing like the one he knew. Grandma Hummel was young, here, looking tired but so much younger than when Rory knew her.

“Hello, boys,” she greeted, “have you eaten us out of house and fridge yet?”

“Hi, Mrs. H,” Puck called.

Mike and Artie simultaneously called out a hello, and Finn got up to hug his mom quickly.

“Oh,” he paused as he returned to his seat, “this is Rory. He’s an exchange student from Ireland.”

Rory didn’t expect for her to settle her gaze on him, or for her to smile warmly at him. “Well, hello Rory. Ireland, eh? I bet you’re missing your family lots. Who are you staying with?”

For a moment Rory didn’t know how to speak.

“The Pierces,” his Dad spoke up, “Brittany’s family.”

She nodded and Kurt and Blaine walked past her towards the kitchen.

“I hope you’re liking it here. You’re welcome any time, Rory. I should go kick Kurt out of the kitchen. Have fun boys.”

Missing from her was that extra little smile that had always been reserved for him, but other than that she was just the same. She looked much younger of course, but her countenance was just the same.

“I’m going to get water,” he announced.

The boys didn’t say anything.

Rory walked to the kitchen and just watched them. Papa was sitting on a stood contemplating an apple, and Dad was putting things away in the fridge and talking to Grandma who was busy at the sink. This was his family. All that was missing was Grandpa.

“Oh, hey, Rory,” Blaine said, “need anything?”

“Water,” he said and coughed, “all we have out here are a bunch of fizzy drinks.”

Blaine laughed and Kurt straightened up from the fridge to look at him over the door, “boys,” he said plain and simple.

Blaine grabbed a glass from a cupboard and easily slipped it past Carole at the sink, pressing down on a button before opening the tap. Carole took her place once he was done and Rory was struck by how comfortably Blaine had done that as if he did all the time.

“Thanks,” he muttered when he was handed the glass. He took a sip and looked back at Blaine who was now leaning against the island he’d taken a seat at, “so, um, why weren’t you guys here for video games?”

Kurt peeked his head from the fridge again. “Because Finn knows that I’m better than him.”

Blaine laughed and Rory couldn’t help but join in.

\- - -

Finn was an idiot. Rory had heard many stories about how much of an idiot his uncle had been in school, but he’d always sort of thought that they were exaggerations. It wasn’t until he completely snubbed Blaine while discussing mash ups for the mash off, to offer Rory a solo that Rory fully understood.

It had been going on for a while, probably since before Rory had gotten there, the way his uncle just didn’t even want to consider Papa a member of the club, but Rory hadn’t really noticed it until he saw Uncle Finn deliberately try to bait Papa by not suggesting he take the solo.

Instead, Blaine smiled reassuringly at Rory and agreed that it was a great idea, even encouraging him. One look at Finn’s face and Rory knew that things hadn’t gone how he intended.

Further proof of his Uncle’s idiocy came later, when Rory watched from the sidelines as he and Santana threw insults at each other. Rory had been so focused on making sure he hadn’t missed Sugar he hadn’t been able to say anything more than a stupid line about crops that made everyone look at him as if he were insane. But what made Finn an idiot was how the exchange ended, “Dodgeball…”

“It’s a horrible idea,” Rachel said when Finn told her later during lunch.

Dad who tried to avoid Rachel as much as possible said nothing, but Rory could tell he agreed.

“Well, we’re doing it,” Finn insisted.

That’s how later that day found Rory borrowing extra gym clothes from Kurt and Blaine including shorts that were way too small on him and made him feel just the slightest bit uncomfortable.

When they got out into the gym, he grimaced until he spotted Sugar. Maybe he could catch her after the game. She couldn’t avoid him forever. One thing he couldn’t understand was why was avoiding him in the first place. Sugar had known he was coming, she could have looked for him immediately, and she had to be feeling like he did, isolated from everyone else.

In an effort to get out of playing he tried to pretend to not know what dodgeball was, but it was futile. Maybe he should have tried it with someone other than Puck. Then suddenly, Puck was telling him to push Artie in his chair and Rory took the job because he absolutely sucked at sports and he wouldn’t embarrass himself by not being able to hit any of the girls.

He didn’t expect the game to get so intense so quickly, and Artie turned out to be one of the biggest targets maybe because he was in the wheelchair and all the balls came towards Rory.

When he managed to look around occasionally, to see how everyone else doing, he was surprised at his Papa leaping away from balls and throwing some of his own just as hard. Dad was mostly dodging but throwing when a ball came near him. Rory was close enough to witness the ball he took to the face and hear him cry out over it.

Sugar was good at the game too, and Rory realized at once she must have gotten that from her mom, because Santana was vicious.

When the game finally ended, Rory almost breathed a sigh of relief and then suddenly he felt a new pain. Because although he’d taken tons of hits throughout the game, the balls had mere grazed him or been from far enough a distance to not hurt too much. They also hadn’t all come at once.

He was astonished when the first one hit. He didn’t understand. Brittany and Santana were sort of his friends, and Sugar was practically his cousin, but they were all throwing them at him. Faintly he heard a shout and his nose felt funny. Familiar arms wrapped around him.

A part of Rory wanted it to be his Dad, not this younger version but the one from his time. He knew it was impossible. He was going to take all that he could get. 

\- - -

Kurt couldn’t believe them. He couldn’t even begin to understand why Santana had started pelting balls at Rory when the game was clearly over. What was the point? Was it because Rory had been hanging out with Finn all week and taking his side against her? Kurt didn’t know, but he didn’t like it one bit. Some sort of protectiveness came over him when he wrapped himself around Rory and yelled at her to stop.

 

Rory looked tiny in the crumpled ball he’d made himself into and Kurt wanted nothing more than to hug him and then lock him away from anything that could hurt him.

“Come on,” he said gently, helping the younger boy up.

Rory reminded Kurt a lot of himself. He had from the moment Kurt met him, being picked on by the hockey team. He was trusting and naïve as Kurt had been when he started at McKinley, and more than anything Rory was kind and accepting. He and Blaine had discussed it once during one of their coffee dates, the strangeness that was Rory’s acceptance of them.

Kurt didn’t drop the arm from around Rory’s shoulders, letting the other boy lean into him as he did, as he walked him to the locker room.

“At least you’re just wearing this hideous gym uniform,” he informed Rory as they walked, as if to make light what’d happened, “you won’t get blood all over your regular clothes.” He didn’t add that they weren’t much to look at either.

Rory grunted.

Kurt pushed him to sit down and opened the locker he’d used earlier, pulling out the cloth he would have used to clean his face later and taking it to the sink to run it under warm water. When he returned, Rory was tipping his head back.

Trying to be as gentle as possible, Kurt cleaned him up and then pressed the cloth to his nose.

“It doesn’t look broken,” Blaine said, appearing suddenly.

“No, I didn’t think so.”

Kurt let Rory tip his head back down, still holding the cloth there. When Rory looked at him, he couldn’t interpret what his eyes were telling him.

“fank you,” Rory mumbled.

Kurt sat down on the bench next to him and without even thinking about it, reached up to fix Rory’s hair. Rory’s eyes followed him as if he wasn’t real and he was startled when Blaine sat down on his other side.

“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but you’re welcome,” Kurt said.

“Are you alright?” he asked, “I mean, besides the nose?”

Rory tried to nod.

“Good.”

“I can’t believe Santana,” Kurt said, not being able to hold it in any longer, “this game of dodgeball was ridiculous to start, but she really was taking it too far. Whoever invented dodgeball is a sick, sick person.”

He removed the cloth from Rory’s nose. The bleeding seemed to have stopped.

“Go on and wash your face to get everything off and then after you dry off I have the perfect moisturizer for you to put on,” Kurt told Rory.

While Rory was off washing his face, Kurt dropped the cloth to the ground and he looked towards Blaine, “even after everything, it’s like she hasn’t learned that we’re still her friends and poor Rory taking the brunt of everything.”

Blaine tilted his head to the side, staring at Kurt with a curious expression.

“What?” Kurt asked.

“You really care about him,” Blaine said gently and motioned behind him, “the way you jumped to his rescue, it was…”

Kurt almost laughed. “Are you jealous, Blaine?”

Blaine shook his head. “No. No. I just…I don’t know, should I be?”

Kurt moved closer on the bench. It was odd than none of the other boys had entered the locker room yet, but Kurt let himself enjoy the moment, “I just feel really protective over him. When I saw him there hurt it was like something took over and maybe it’s because I’ve been there or I don’t know, but it killed me to see him hurt.”

Blaine leaned his head against Kurt, “it’s because you care about everyone. I love that about you.” He lifted his head long enough to press a kiss to his forehead.

Rory returned just as Finn, pushing Artie’s wheelchair with Mike and Puck in tow entered the locker room. Blaine and Kurt separated and Kurt went back to his locker to get out the moisturizer he’d offered, after all, any chance that he got to improve anyone’s skin care was one to take.

 

Rory smiled in his usual bright way and Kurt was more than glad to see the smile on his face again. Then, he turned to grab his regular clothes to get out of the gym uniform Finn had insisted they all wear. Oh, but he hated his stepbrother and his brilliant ideas. He still didn’t fully understand how this solved anything. What did pelting each other with red rubber balls do, other than leave them with bruises? Winning the game didn’t make the Troubletones any better.

He redressed quickly and found Blaine with Rory and Mike by the mirrors, the three of them already in their regular clothes.

“It doesn’t hurt much anymore, just kind of throbs a bit,” Rory was saying.

“As long as you’re alright,” Mike said and clapped Rory on the back, “see you later, man. Bye Kurt. Blaine. Have to go find Tina.”

“Thanks again, Kurt,” Rory said, “you’re…you’re really brave, you know, and I just think you’re awesome.”

Kurt almost blushed. “Rory, that shouldn’t have happened at all,” he said and then it hit him. He’d been looking for this in all the wrong places. He knew just what to do. “In fact,” he continued, “I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’ll have to rewrite my speech, but I think it’ll be worth it, and who knows.”

Rory looked confused, but pleased and he smiled his smile and Kurt wanted nothing more than to hug him not only because he’d inspired the change he needed in his campaign but because he was Rory and Kurt had an urge to just protect him.

Somehow, Blaine knew just what he needed, and being the guy that he was, he didn’t hesitate in saying, “group hug” and pulling he and Rory into a hug almost as soon as the words had left his mouth.

\- - -

Blaine was glad Kurt and Rachel were talking again mostly because he knew the two of them missed each other and because Rachel really had been out of line staying in the running for so long. He watched them walking down the hall, talking about everything they’d missed and he smiled to himself. Everything was right with the world.

He went to his locker. He’d gotten lucky and been assigned one near Kurt’s. He put his things away and continued in the direction that Kurt and Rachel had gone, not even the slightest bit annoyed that Kurt had forgotten him and headed to lunch without him.

McKinley was turning out to not be the most horrible place in the world. It certainly was not Dalton, but it had its own things going for it, including Kurt. Yeah, there was the occasional jock that tried to push him or Kurt around, but for the most part they had been left alone. Blaine hadn’t even been slushied and Kurt liked to roll his eyes when Blaine said that to him proudly at the end of every week.

“It’ll happen eventually,” Kurt would say, “then you’ll see who’s laughing.”

Blaine had been initially surprised when Kurt didn’t immediately take his campaign as a good way to have some anti-bullying stance. But despite hinting at it and suggesting it at one point, he’d supported Kurt’s decision to go with the salad bar argument that only he thought was important. The change in stance after the dodgeball game surprised him, especially when it was centered around the exchange student. Still, he was glad Kurt had decided to take bullying on even if he did it through wanting to ban dodgeball.

It was the only thing that had come from the dodgeball game. He paused when he spotted Rory.

“Hey,” he called, “how’s the nose?”

Rory smiled brightly at him, so genuinely and in almost awe. “It’s wonderful,” he said, “no harm done.”

Blaine liked Rory. He was a nice kid, but sometimes he got the feeling that Rory spent way too much of his time watching him and Kurt. Once, he’d voiced that to Kurt, but Kurt had shrugged him away. Kurt had some strange connection to Rory. He was one of the few other guys that Blaine had seen Kurt touch in any insignificant way. Even with Finn, Kurt avoided physical contact, but Rory got arms around his shoulders, pats on the head, and even Kurt fixing his hair. It was odd.

If Blaine wasn’t so secure in his relationship with Kurt, he would have wondered if Kurt wasn’t interested in Rory.

“Coming to lunch?”

Rory hesitated. “Uh. Yeah.” He looked around for a moment and then walked with Blaine.

“How has everything been so far? You still being picked on?”

“Just sometimes,” Rory admitted, “but they aren’t pushing me into lockers so much anymore. It’s just because of my accent, I think, and well glee.”

Blaine nodded. “It’s odd for me glee club being so unpopular. The Warblers at Dalton are really popular there for whatever reason. I guess the whole a cappella thing makes it different.”

“It sounds like a great school. Those boys in the uniform in the audience during West Side Story were from Dalton, right?”

“Yup. Sometimes I miss the blazer, but don’t tell Kurt. He likes trying to dress me up like his own human sized ken doll.”

Rory seemed a bit awkward to him alone like this, always staring at him as if he would disappear at any moment, and pausing before speaking as if he were watching his words. Blaine had never seen him like this before and it made him wonder if this was how he acted all the time.

\- - -

Sugar wasn’t there to witness it, but she heard the whispers after it happened, because it was something that spread like wildfire. Her Mami had been outed, pushed out the closet the door into the jaws of McKinley High’s students. Sugar had never heard the story of how her Mami came out and suddenly it made sense, because she hadn’t chosen to come out. Instead Finn had practically yelled it out for everyone to hear.

Had Sugar not been worrying about staying away from Rory and running away when he tried to approach her, she would have tried to do something to help Mami out, but instead she’d been hiding from Rory who had actually been present when Finn let the cat out of the bag.

Sugar actually didn’t see Santana until the performance. They were all there and Mercedes had taken the reins again. Brittany was with Santana off in the back and Sugar wanted nothing more than to join them and comfort her Mami. But she couldn’t. Santana didn’t know Sugar was her daughter even though she knew Sugar was from the future.

A part of Sugar wanted to tell her, to just let her know that one day she’d be happy and in love and that she’d have her. But she couldn’t do that. So, instead she just watched from afar, frowning.

New Directions went first and Sugar almost couldn’t tell Rory and Kurt apart with the two of them wearing the same outfit. She sat next to Mercedes and the two of them giggled from the audience at the fake mustaches and hair. The performance was good nevertheless and Sugar noticed how glad Rory seemed to be up there with his parents. More than a part of her wanted to let Rory come to her. But she couldn’t. They told her she couldn’t.

She clapped when they were done and then the troubletones were up there in their costumes. They were doing Adele. Adele who even in the future was still known. These were older songs she’d heard once or twice in passing, but still just as good. Her Mami and Mercedes were amazing as they sang and Sugar luckily only had to focus on the dance steps and lip singing occasionally. Dancing was easier for her than anything else.

It was the influence of her mom, she knew. Brittany was an amazing dancer. She taught Dance in the future at a small studio in Columbus, and Sugar had always tried to tag along when she was younger. She was an alright dancer.

When the slap came, Sugar didn’t see it coming. Mami’s hand landed on Finn’s cheek and she walked out. Sugar froze. They all froze.

Afterwards, there was no winner declared, and instead Brittany was off trying to find Santana and Sugar had known she couldn’t go looking for her. Instead she went to change back into her regular clothes and then find a way home.

She didn’t expect to run headlong into Rory.

“Hi,” he said, bright smile in place, “don’t I know you from somewhere? Or rather, some time?”


	6. I Kissed A Girl

“Rory,” Sugar gasped.

Rory smirked a little and then reached forward to grab her arm. “You’re not getting away from me now,” he told her, “and I’m sorry if I forgot to find you or something when I first got here, but you shouldn’t be mad at me about that. Come on, we have to talk.”

Sugar stared at him for a long moment and then she was throwing herself at him and Rory almost toppled over backwards, but he caught her against him and felt her squeezing him in a tight hug. Rory couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged Sugar.

“Oh, Rory, it’s not my fault, it’s not, but Mami told me not to talk to you and I’ve been…I miss them so much, Rory, and it’s no use now because you started it and that’s what we’ll tell them and…”

Rory shushed her and shook his head in amusement. “Worry about that later,” he said.

She pulled back slowly, but stayed close to him and Rory began to laugh because Sugar was there with him and that strange loneliness that he had been feeling was diminished to an extent with her near. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her to his side.

“I’m surprised to be saying it, Sug, but I’ve missed you.”

She let out a small giggle. “Missed you too, Rors.”

Rory led her into an empty classroom and closed the door behind them just in case. He didn’t know what to say, not now that he knew their parents had asked Sugar to stay away from him. He still felt bad about having forgotten her.

“So,” he said, “we’re stuck in the past.”

“And it’s all your fault,” Sugar said. She jumped on one of the desks and swung her legs, “you were so stupid, Rory. You don’t know what you did to your dad.”

Rory sighed. “I didn’t mean to go so far back, I never meant for any of this to happen. I just – I wanted to save my Papa.” His voice sort of broke and he tried to hide the tears that wanted to burst out.

Sugar jumped off of the desk and she was hugging him again. “I know,” she whispered, “but, Rory, I don’t think it works that way.”

Rory didn’t respond. He needed this comfort of having someone that actually knew him hugging him even if it was Sugar. He put his head on her shoulder and he felt her hand on his neck, gently moving up and down. It was calming.

“I miss them so much, Sugar. Hell, I miss everyone.”

“Me too.”

They clung to each other for a while and then Rory was the one to pull back. “So, what have you been up to exactly? Here, I mean.”

“Hanging out with my moms, or trying to…they’re kinda different. I don’t know what I expected. I just – I want them back, you know.”

“Yeah,” Rory said.

“Your dads though,” Sugar said, “they’re practically the same.”

Rory rolled his eyes, “they’re not really.”

“I know you don’t see it that way, but the other day during the dodgeball game – and I am so sorry about that, by the way – your dad just jumped to help you and that was just how your dad would have reacted.”

Rory fiddled with a belt loop. He still couldn’t really believe what had happened earlier. But he smiled a little bit.

“He’s already becoming who my dad will be,” Rory said.

They heard footsteps out in the hall and Rory was reminded that he should probably go back to Brittany’s.

“Where are you staying, anyway?”

“I don’t think they’d want me telling you that,” Sugar said and shrugged, “sorry. I mean, we’re not supposed to interact really, I don’t know why.”

Rory nodded. “But, we’ll talk now, won’t we?”

Sugar nodded. “Of course.”

They hugged again and then Sugar left first, walking quickly and with an air that told everyone she thought she was better than them. Rory thought it was funny. He waited until he couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore before he left.

Rory found Finn with his dads and Rachel outside. They all looked visibly upset. When he approached, glad that he wouldn’t have to walk to Brittany’s house if they were still here, Blaine tried to smile at him but it was a strained smile.

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Finn said, “and seriously, who doesn’t know?”

Kurt rolled his eyes, “you did it to hurt her because of some silly feud between clubs and now the whole school thinks that she’s a lesbian and maybe you didn’t notice but we go to a highly homophobic school. You’re going to have to apologize, Finn Hudson.”

Rory said nothing, he watched Finn instead and his distress. He and Rachel walked off towards Finn’s car and Rory knew that he’d figure something out. As stupid as his uncle had been doing that to Santana, Rory knew his heart was in the right place and that he’d figure something out.

“Do you need a ride home, Rory?”

Rory nodded and he followed his dad towards Kurt’s car.

“I wish we could do something for her,” Blaine said, “coming out is hard enough, but to have it happen like that – poor Santana.”

\- - -

All he had was this to get into NYADA, winning the election. It wasn’t going to happen though, and Kurt knew it. He’d known it the moment the pixie stix came out and everyone he walked past on his way to class had one – he knew it the moment that he saw people cheering for Brittany.

The part of him that dreaded not getting into NYADA and having his future be as undetermined as his brother’s wanted to just forget about doing the right thing and find a way to win anyway. He knew it was wrong, and he knew that he wouldn’t do it when he didn’t even tell Blaine what he’d been considering doing. But he did mention it to Rachel, already knowing that he wasn’t going to do it.

It’d been a strange week so far. He’d been dealing with the stress of trying to fill out the application to NYADA and failing at every attempt to start it. He wasn’t going to get in.

There were other schools of course, and he had applied elsewhere just in case, but NYADA was his dream. New York City was where he was meant to be and that school and everything it offered was his step into what he’d always wanted for himself.

“Hey,” Blaine said and sank into the seat next to him at the library.

“Hey, yourself,” Kurt said.

“Why are you always in the library these days?” Blaine asked.

Kurt shrugged. “Quiet.”

“Well, I come to steal you away so you can actually eat something today and stop worrying about this election. It won’t be the end of the world if you don’t win, and if you don’t then we can figure out what to do then, but you don’t have to keep worrying about it.”

Kurt stood up. “I’m not going to get into NYADA,” he said as calmly as anything, “without this, with the small part I got in West Side Story, all I have is glee and what applicant to this school doesn’t? I’d be lucky if I’m even compared to Rachel.”

Blaine didn’t hesitate in wrapping his arms around him and even though Kurt wanted to protest because they were in school and they’d talked about how they’d restrain themselves from showing any affection because they didn’t know what could happen if they didn’t. But he didn’t pull away. He let Blaine hold him for a while before he finally did pull away.

“You are amazing, Kurt, and NYADA should be lucky to have you. Whatever happens, I’m here and together we’ll figure something out.”

“Okay.”

“So,” Blaine said as they began to walk towards the exit, “you have got to stop worrying about this.”

They separated for their classes and as Kurt sat in his History class he couldn’t help but feel a bit better about the whole thing, because even if he did lose he would still have Blaine and that mattered more than anything else.

He met up with Blaine at his locker before glee. Blaine smiled at him. “I don’t think the commercial’s aired yet,” he said, “but it should be any day now and I think some people know anyway.”

The whole thing Finn was trying to do for Santana had rubbed Kurt the wrong way from the moment he heard about it, mostly because he realized at once that it was Finn’s way of letting himself off of the guilt hook. And although Kurt could appreciate that they were all being supportive of Santana and trying to help, he couldn’t get over how they had over looked his problems and made such light of his coming out. It was different of course, and Kurt didn’t exactly hold any resentment towards any of them but he couldn’t help but think about how differently they were all handling it.

He and Blaine had agreed to sing first and Kurt hoped that Santana would get something out of their song and show of support. Still, it was Santana, and Kurt knew her well enough to know that she was unpredictable and that she might still be just as angry at Finn as she had been a few days ago when she slapped him. Although he had heard that Finn managed to stop Figgins from suspending her over the entire thing. Again, it had to do with his guilt.

“Perfect” was the song that he and Blaine had first sung together in the car back when they were still friends. Since then, every time it came on the radio or on their ipods the two of them turned to each other and just sung.

But Santana didn’t seem to find it helpful. Instead she sat, her face stoic and afterwards made her usual comments. But that was Santana, and Santana hid behind her sarcasm and wit.

Afterwards, when they were leaving the choir room, Rory touched his elbow.

“Your song was beautiful,” he said and beamed at him and there was a strange emotion in Rory’s eyes.

“Are you okay, Rory?”

The Irish boy nodded. “Course.”

Kurt looked after him, after he’d walked away and he wondered yet again why he was always so worried about the younger boy. Rory was just another glee member and friend and of course Kurt cared, but he really did go out of his way to make sure he was okay and despite how he’d smiled and been enthusiastic while Kurt and Blaine were singing earlier, there had been something like longing in his eyes.

“Rory alright?”

Kurt shrugged, “don’t know. He said he was fine, but did he look a bit…I don’t know, odd.”

“Maybe it’s a bad association with the song. Who knows.”

Kurt nodded. “I have other things to worry about, you’re right. I – I told Rachel I was thinking about cheating.”

“What?”

“It just…it shouldn’t come down to some votes made by the senior class of this place if I get into NYADA. It shouldn’t, but it’s going to and I’m just so frustrated and I can’t even be mad at Brittany because it’s Brittany and Jacob Ben Israel pretty much confirmed I’m going to lose and…and I’m not going to do it.”

They were still in the choir room, so when Blaine hugged him, Kurt hugged him just as hard back and they stayed like that for a while.

\- - -

Sugar thought it was stupid that Finn’s song was the one to get through to her mami, but she didn’t let it bother her for long, because seeing her mami actually smile again was better than anything and that mattered more.

The commercial finally aired about halfway through the week and Sugar watched it with tears in her eyes because she had never known it was like this and she hadn’t expected for it to hurt so much to see something that was going to cause her mami pain.

“Just remember that she’ll become the woman you know in the future,” Rory told her, “it’s how I’m dealing with all the pressure and worry my dad’s putting on himself over this stupid election.”

Sugar nodded and then grinned at him, “my mom wins,” she said.

Rory rolled his eyes.

Sugar was present when the first person came up to her mami about the commercial, some guy that thought he could somehow change who she was by flashing his smile and getting to agree to go to bed with him. Sugar herself had almost stepped forward to defend her, but she stopped herself in time.

 

Santana wasn’t particularly fond of her and with her knowing that she and Rory were from the future, she wouldn’t be happy with Sugar interfering in any way. Instead Rachel was there with the other girls from glee and Sugar saw the relief that washed over her mami when they came to her rescue as if somehow she hadn’t expected that her friends would help her or stand by her despite what the week was about. Sugar didn’t want to think about how many of those people her mami and mom – for that matter – would have to deal with after this.

 

“I wish they would let me be close to them,” Sugar told Rory after the incident, “like your dad’s do.”

“It’s hard though,” Rory admitted, “to see them and know it’s them and yet know that it actually isn’t them. It doesn’t make missing them any easier and most of the time I just want to tell them everything and have them fix it because they’re my dad’s.”

Sugar was glad Rory and she were talking now. It was good to have someone that knew just what she was feeling and who could talk to her about it. Still though she couldn’t help but wonder why she’d been asked to stay away from Rory.

“We’ll get back,” she assured him, “somehow we’ll make it back and everything will be the same.”

Rory didn’t want everything to be the same. He wanted his papa to be alive, he wanted Blaine to be there when he returned alive and well. Sugar was almost positive that they wouldn’t be able to change anything to make that happen for him. Still, she really did want to have uncle Blaine in the future. After all this trouble she and Rory had gone to, it was only right that the universe gave them that if nothing else.

\- - -

Blaine was with Mike in the auditorium. Tina was sitting on the floor not too far from them, watching as they practiced a few dance moves.

“You’re getting almost as good as Mike,” Tina said.

Blaine shook his head. He’d never be as good, and he was definitely not doing well now, too worried about Kurt and what he’d been called to Figgins’ office for.

“He’ll be fine,” Mike assured him, “not only is Kurt tough, but it might not be all bad news.”

When Kurt was called down to the principal’s office Blaine hadn’t known how to react because all he could think about was the election and Kurt telling him that he had been thinking of cheating. There was no other reason for him to be called down there unless it had something to do with his dad and Blaine was sure that Finn would have been called down too, then.

“I don’t know, guys,” he admitted, “I just have a bad feeling about this.”

Mike began showing him another step and Blaine tried to copy what he was doing until he had almost got it right.

“You’re far better at this than the rest of the New Directions,” Mike told him.

Tina stood up to join them and went to stand on Mike’s other side.

“Better than Finn anyway,” Mike added.

Blaine rolled his eyes and smiled. Mike was one of the few members of New Directions that had really welcomed him wholeheartedly. He and Tina accepted his and Kurt’s relationship like no one else, and more than that they accepted him and his transfer and were genuinely happy that he was there. Mike was also one of the few people that Blaine had talked to about Finn in detail and who was on his side.

They were just about to connect two different steps together into a sequence when Kurt rushed in and Blaine knew at once that something was wrong from the frantic look on his face and his slightly reddened eyes.

“Blaine,” he gasped out and Blaine was at his side at once, arms wrapping around him glad to have the quiet of the auditorium, “they think I did it, they think I stuffed the ballot. I didn’t do it. You have to know I didn’t and they…if they find proof…”

Blaine saw Mike and Tina leave, but he didn’t concern himself with them because Kurt was practically in tears.

“’I’ll really not get into NYADA,” he added, “I won’t if this is on my permanent record and…and …who would do this?”

“I don’t know,” Blaine said, “I don’t know, Kurt, but they don’t have proof and you didn’t do it. Someone else did and they’ll get caught.”

“And if they don’t?”

Blaine pulled back from the hug only so he could see Kurt’s face, their bodies staying in the same proximity.

“Then, we will prove that you didn’t do that, that you wouldn’t do that.”

“Okay.”

Kurt kissed him, then, a kiss full of his sorrow and his anxiety about the entire matter. This was a Kurt who was reaching for straws trying to figure out how his entire life could be altered by this. Blaine wanted to just reassure him and tell him that someday Kurt would make it to New York and that it didn’t matter if it was through NYADA or another school but that his life and his dreams weren’t going to be over just like that.

Instead, he let Kurt kiss him and kissed back gently putting all his love into it, and then he promised himself that would do everything in his power to help Kurt even if it meant trying to figure out which of the seniors had thought it was a bright idea to do this to Kurt.

He couldn’t imagine who would do it. Had it been a friend trying to help – Finn maybe in his attempts at being a good brother, Or had it been someone else, someone hoping that Kurt would get in trouble, some jock doing it for kicks, not caring that he could be ruining someone’s life.

Blaine had never imagined that it was Rachel. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that Rachel might do it in some misconceived way to make amends, or that she was the only other person that might have taken Kurt’s idea and run with it. He should have expected it.

“I’m banned from competing at Sectionals.”

And then suddenly Rachel wasn’t just to blame for Kurt’s breakdown the day before, but also the possibility that they might actually lose at Sectionals.

“I don’t know if I should hate her for doing that or not,” Kurt admitted to him as Blaine sat him down at the library with the application he still hadn’t finished.

“Her reasons could be justified,” Blaine said, “I don’t know about acting on them.”

“She just doesn’t think sometimes and I love her for trying to give me this and finally realizing how much I need this to get into NYADA, but we’re screwed for Sectionals.”

Blaine couldn’t help but agree. Without Rachel he didn’t know what they’d do and it wasn’t just about not having Rachel perform, but about leaving Finn to just take over as the captain of the club or something and how easily that would mean that Blaine’s ideas would be just shoved to the aside as if they didn’t matter.

“You are going to get in,” Blaine said, “because you’re amazing and you have good SAT scores and because you have some really good recommendation letters. You have glee and you were in the play even if it was a minor role, and you were in the cheerios and all of that says something about you – it says you’re committed to few things but you do them with passion and that you aren’t just in every club in an effort to get into college.”

Kurt leaned his head against Blaine’s arm and nodded even though Blaine knew it was probably just to humor him.


	7. Doppelganger

Kurt watched Sebastian walk away and he tried to remind himself that Sebastian meant nothing to Blaine. Still, though, despite all the insults he’d tried to throw at him, Sebastian had somehow known just where to hit him. He looked down at the application.

“Hey,” Blaine said and his hand covered his, “what’s wrong?”

“Am I going to be stuck working here next year, Blaine? What if I don’t get into NYADA? What do I do then?”

Blaine picked his hand up from the table to really grasp it. “You applied to other places,” he said, “and even if it’s not NYADA, you’ll still be amazing anywhere you go.”

Kurt let his eyes close and he nodded.

“What did Sebastian say to you?”

Kurt shrugged his shoulders, “does it matter?”

“Kurt…”

He shook his head and Blaine sighed and picked up his cup of coffee. Kurt knew that Sebastian meant nothing. He knew that Blaine would never cheat on him. He knew that there was nothing Sebastian could do that would take Blaine from him. But knowing all of that, it wasn’t enough to quell the worry that he really wasn’t enough for Blaine and that he wouldn’t succeed.

“I don’t think I’m going to hand this in,” Kurt said and ripped the application for work at the Lima Bean in half and then into quarters.

“What…why?”

Kurt started gathering his things, “because I’m half convinced that Sebastian lives here or something and I don’t want to deal with that – I’ll just pick up a few shifts at the shop. Now that dad won the election Finn might need the extra pair of hands anyway.”

He threw out his mostly empty cup of coffee, followed by the application he’d just ripped and then picked up the strap of his bag to put over his shoulder.

“I was looking forward to your employee discount,” Blaine said.

Kurt couldn’t help but let out a chortle of laughter, “you’re all about the discounts you might get from your romantic dalliances, aren’t you?”

Blaine hung his head as he too gathered his things. “I thought we weren’t going to bring that up again.”

“Sorry, love, you walked into it.”

They walked out to the car and Kurt got into the driver’s side, handing Blaine his bag to throw in the back seat.

“Yours or mine?” Kurt asked.

Blaine shrugged.

“Mine then,” Kurt said, “Finn and Rachel invited me to come along to get Sam but I declined, because I have no idea how that’s supposed to help other than adding another person that can sing to our team – but the point is we have the house to ourselves.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“I liked Sam,” Blaine said, “the few times I got to meet him.”

Kurt nodded. Sam was a nice guy, he’d been accepting of him from the moment they’d met and even though Kurt was still bitter that Mercedes hadn’t told him anything about her fling with Sam that past summer, he did like the blond.

“He’s cool. I think he’s moving in with us, though, if Finn and Rachel can convince him to come back. We have the room – sort of – and dad and Carole are practically going to be living in DC soon.”

When they got to his house, Blaine grabbed both of their bags and Kurt rolled his eyes as he walked after him to open the door. His dad and Carole were actually in DC just then, dealing with the aftermath of being elected – they’d been invited to a few dinners and Carole had decided they needed to start apartment hunting early anyway. It’d be just a month or so before he was actually in office and then everything was really going to change in their family dynamics. Kurt wasn’t looking forward to having to stop Finn and Puck from throwing some sort of party at their house.

He and Blaine headed up to his room and Blaine immediately put on music, a playlist full of songs they both loved. He sat down on Kurt’s bed to take off his shoes and Kurt just watched him because no matter what Sebastian said, this was his and one day he and Blaine would have their own house with a bedroom that they could call theirs decorated to fit both their tastes and it would just be routine to retire together and do their nightly routine together before they fell into their bed and wrapped in each other fell into sleep.

“What are you thinking about?” Blaine asked and was standing in front of Kurt.

“The future,” Kurt admitted, “us.”

“That right?”

Kurt nodded. His arms wrapped around Blaine’s waist. “I think I’m realizing that it won’t matter what dreams I accomplish if I don’t have you.”

Then they were kissing and the music playing in the background with a softly crooning voice made it all the more peaceful and right and when they fell into Kurt’s bed giggling Kurt knew that this was going to be forever and Sebastian would never get between them and neither would anyone else.

\- - -

What Rory loved most about being in the past was being able to watch his parents and seeing them and the love that they would never lose for each other. He tried not to think about the tragedy that would befall them in his time and there was a part of him that was still convinced he could stop it somehow – he’d come this far after all.

With sectionals on the horizon glee had become more tense than ever and he couldn’t really blame anyone. Aunt Rachel had been banned from competing and Finn as much as he was trying to keep everything together was failing miserably and it really didn’t help that he wasn’t letting his papa get any kind of word in with his suggestions.

Then suddenly Sam Evans showed up and Rory couldn’t believe it and he couldn’t even hide his excitement when he walked through the door.

“Sam Evans,” his dad said, “he used to go here last year but moved because of some family issues in the summer.”

Rory knew who Sam was and he actually hadn’t thought about getting to meet Sam in the past like this, but there he was strumming his guitar and singing the most ridiculous song ever and Rory could only smile because Sam had always been more relaxed about music than anyone else he knew. He’d gone to follow Mr. Shuester’s steps, becoming a teacher and although Rory had never been his student, he knew that Sam had always been good with kids.

With the return of Sam, some of the tension that had been present for so long had started to leave and Rory was free to focus on the whole issue with the time machine.

At home, Brittany was under strict instructions to not talk to him at all.

“She won’t know the difference between what she can tell you and what she can’t,” Santana had said, her eyes looking at him in that calculating way that she always did. Rory feared that soon she’d realize who he looked she much like.

But Brittany was back to work and Rory had seen her talking to her cat a few times about the time machine and even her mom. Mrs. Pierce had humored her daughter and even tried to offer some tips. Rory could see how Brittany had been allowed to have such an unique perspective of the world.

They were doing a dance rehearsal and the two band members that were going to be joining them so they’d had enough members – Rory had no idea how Finn and Puck had convinced them – looked like they would rather be anywhere but there. He was starting to sympathize with them because there was no point to having some sort of dance routine if they didn’t even have songs yet.

There had been suggestions of course, and Rachel had tried to stop at their rehearsals multiple times with her ideas, but they were getting nowhere and Sectionals were in just a few days. Rory didn’t see the fight between Sam and his papa coming – no one did – and when he stormed out angry as anything they all stood around for a while shocked and not even his dad made a move to follow him.

Sam was the first to speak, “was it something I did? I didn’t think he’d be…”

Kurt shook his head, “don’t worry about it, Sam, it’s been a little hard for him lately.”

“I’ll go talk to him,” Finn offered.

Rory watched as his dad bit down on his lip as if he wanted to protest and go instead, but then he nodded his head, “you better not make any more trouble, Finn Hudson.”

After Finn left they all kind of gravitated to seats except for Mike and Sam who began working out their dance moves with Mr. Shuester who incidentally had said nothing about Blaine.

Rory sat down next to Kurt. “They’ll be okay,” he tried.

“I hope so,” Kurt said, “I don’t really think he’s angry at Sam. It’s Finn, really. He’s so frustrated being sort of new here and having Finn pretty much rebuke any and all of his suggestions and he’s said time and time again he doesn’t want me to talk to Finn and I guess it’s just coming to a head.”

“Finn’s a good guy,” Rory said.

“I know.”

They got up when Mike called them over again and they started working on their dance moves. It was ironic that the person that would probably need the most help getting them down wasn’t there.

He and his dad danced side by side and Rory couldn’t help but let the tension roll off his shoulders when he made a wrong step and Kurt was there correcting him almost at once because for some reason Kurt seemed to actually get the moves.

“We had booty camp earlier this year,” Kurt told him, “before Rachel kicked us off the stage for taking up time from practice for the musical, and I’ve been getting a bit better at all of this.”

When Rory almost tripped over his own feet, he was almost surprised when his dad had taken him by the shoulders to stop him. It was like old times – well, like the future technically – and Rory wanted to just be able to grin up at his dad and see that smile that was meant just for him.

“You’ll get the hang of it,” his dad said.

Blaine and Finn returned a bit later and Blaine looked in a far better mood than before and then everything was coming together because his papa and uncle had always made a good team.

\- - -

Sugar knew they were going to lose. She knew because she’d seen the photo albums and yearbooks that proved the New Directions the winners of not only this competition but their Regional competition as well. She also knew that her moms would rejoin the New Directions. Still, she practiced hard and tried to really nail their choreography and the harmonies.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was horrible at the whole showbiz thing. It wasn’t for her, and Sugar had never been interested in it from the start and all of this was not turning her towards it.

Rory was different. He had always been the little performer and she knew how much his dads had loved seeing him take after them.

“You’re getting better, Sugar,” Shelby said.

It was weird having Shelby around because she looked so much like what an older Rachel Berry would look like. They weren’t identical of course, but the resemblance and relationship between them was uncanny.

She smiled a little and thanked her and then watched as Mercedes brought out the dresses they’d be using for the competition. They were pretty, she had to admit, but still not to her taste. Nothing in this time was.

Brittany across the room was teaching the cheerios that were joining them last minute the choreography and Sugar wanted nothing more than to go over there and just wrap her arms around her and be safe in her arms. She couldn’t though. Santana would kill her for one, and for another it would confuse her mom. So, instead she just watched and hoped that her longing expression wasn’t obvious.

The night of the competition, they got ready together and Santana actually helped Sugar with her hair and having her mami’s hands doing the kind of work they’d done when she was little and hopeless with her hair had made everything all the much harder because she had to keep herself from grinning like an idiot.

“You have to keep your voice in check tonight, Sugar,” Santana told her, “we can’t lose because of you.”

Sugar nodded.

“Do we…”

“What?”

“Win?”

Sugar stared at her. “I can’t tell you that.”

Santana rolled her eyes. “You can. You’re just choosing not to.”

Her mami walked away, then, going to where Mercedes was seated with Brittany and Sugar closed her eyes. She couldn’t wait until she was back home and everything was back to normal.

Shelby called them over and after a quick pep talk and some agreement that they would let the New Directions join their team if they lost, they went to the choir room where the other team had been getting themselves together.

There was something going on with Shelby, Puck, and Quinn and Sugar really just didn’t even care. Rory seemed to, but Sugar just wanted to ignore what was happening in the past and move on and go back to her present and these people’s futures. Rory didn’t seem to think that way. But then, Rory had become their friends, he’d been embraced into their fold and his parents actually liked him and looked after him. She tried not to be bitter about it.

“Good luck.”

Sugar smiled at Rory, “you too. We both know who wins.”

\- - -

The first time Blaine saw Kurt and Rory dressed the same way was during the mash up they’ve done a few weeks back, but somehow he’d been so focused on the insanity that was his hair that night and the fake mustache that Finn had forced on them that he hadn’t focused on it. But seeing them standing together right before they left the choir room to the auditorium almost made him gasp because suddenly it was like he was seeing two of Kurt.

They didn’t look exactly the same, there was no way they could, but they were so similar that Blaine would have thought they were related. When he approached them, he wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders.

“You two could be twins,” he said with a grin.

Kurt cocked an eyebrow at him, looking surprised.

“No, seriously, look at each other.”

Rory’s reaction was different. He was stiff and his eyes wide in a panicked manner as if that conclusion was the one thing he didn’t want drawn from this scenario. Blaine had no idea what to do, or how to even take that reaction, so he stared back until Rory schooled his expression into something else entirely. Blaine frowned at him. He was hiding something.

“Rory,” Kurt said, “I think Blaine has a point.” He moved from Blaine to stand in front of Rory.

Blaine kept his eyes on Rory and watched him closer than he had before and it was only now that he was realizing that Rory was acting, pretending to be okay when he was freaking out. But the thing that really got him was just how easily the way he was acting was Kurt.

“I don’t know,” Rory said, “I guess we look a little bit alike.”

Blaine watched at Kurt fixed Rory’s hair and he couldn’t help but wonder just how much more alike they would look like if Rory grew his hair and styled it like Kurt did.

“You don’t have my nose,” Kurt told Rory, “and I don’t think you have my eyes either, but I have to admit that you could be my fraternal twin brother. You’re not, are you? Because I’m far too old to have to deal with a Parent Trap type of deal here.”

Kurt always knew how to make light of certain moments. He couldn’t help but grin.

“Nope,” Rory said, “I’m definitely not your brother.”

He wasn’t lying, but the way he spoke told him that he found it funny and not just because it was, but because he knew something else.

Blaine was called over by Finn, then, who was helping the two band members and trying to make sure they didn’t go and mess up their chances at winning. He tried giving them his own advice, but kept glancing back towards Kurt and Rory who were both smiling a bit more as they talked.

When they got out to the auditorium a while later, it was already full and one quick look around told him his parents hadn’t bothered again. And of course, his brother was in L.A. so he couldn’t expect him to be around for one of his competitions. On the upside, he did spot Burt and Carole and he pointed them out to Kurt while they filed into their seats.

They were seated far enough from Rory who’d been pulled into a conversation with Mike that Blaine felt comfortable enough to talk about him.

“He’s hiding something,” he told Rory, “I don’t know what it is, but did you see his face when I mentioned you two looked alike? It was like…it was like he already knew all about it and he just hadn’t expected us to catch on. There’s something he isn’t telling us and I’m starting to think a lot of it has been suspicious.”

Kurt shook his head. “Blaine, you’ve got to be joking. Rory’s harmless. So he was a little freaked out by you telling him he looks like me? Big deal.”

Blaine grabbed his hand. “I’m not saying he’s here to hurt you or me or anyone in New Directions, I just don’t know if he’s been telling us the entire truth about himself and I want to know why. If he’s in trouble or if he needs help then I want to be there for him.”

Kurt bestowed a smile on him and leaned over to quickly kiss his cheek. Their judges were being announced and they turned around to look at who they’d have to impress for this competition.

By the time they were on stage, Blaine knew that it was entirely possible that they were going to lose. It had been an inspired idea to turn to Michael Jackson for song numbers and Blaine was proud of what he and Finn had been able to accomplish on that front, he was also happy to have Finn as a friend again.

It was still a bit awkward of course, but Finn was making an effort and he was Kurt’s brother and all in all Blaine did want to have a good relationship with Finn. He’d apologized to Sam earlier too and tried to explain it wasn’t really his fault. He’d even gone on to admit that the whole body roll thing might be to their advantage.

Standing on the stage later, after they’d been called back was a nerve wracking moment. He hadn’t known Santana or Brittany, or Mercedes, for as long as everyone else had, but he knew it was going to be hard if they won or lost and he could see it on everyone’s faces. Of course he wanted to win, of course he wanted the New Directions to go on to Regionals and it’d be well deserved and there was no doubt that they would let the girls join back up – The Troubletones were practically an extension of them anyway. But he knew there’d be hurt feelings and a whole lot of mess after it was all said and done and Blaine hated when things went that way.

So, after The Unitards were given third place, he glanced in their direction and he braced himself for what would come next. And then, suddenly it was chaos around him and he too was joining in. There were hugs and his friend were jumping up and down around him and Kurt and Rory were hugging and he was joining in too and for a moment everything seemed right and perfect. Then, the trophy was there and everyone was reaching out to touch it and when he glanced back at the girls they stood heads bowed with shock and disappointment clear to him. They had thought they were going to win.

\- - -

Rory was still panicking about Blaine noticing how much he and Kurt looked alike. During the week they’d been doing mash offs against The Troubletones Mike and Tina had mentioned it to him, but not Kurt and he’d brushed it off and hoped no one noticed. Mike had gone on to mention something about genetics that Rory hadn’t understood but the subject had been dropped.

Rory had feared Santana would mention it, but she’d been distracted by that point by Finn’s big mouth and luckily the guess had never come. He would never have expected his papa to catch on.

They hadn’t brought it back up and Rory decided to make more of an effort to not dress like Kurt unless it was necessary for glee. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen once Regionals came about if he was still stuck in the past.

The glee meeting that followed their win at Sectionals took place in the auditorium and for a while everyone just drifted around the room chitchatting. Rory for one sat down and moments later was joined by Blaine.

“Hey,” he said, “how did you like your first competition with New Directions?”

“New to you too though, isn’t it, Warbler boy?” Puck said before Rory could respond and he sat down with them.

Puck had been a bit down since they’d heard that Shelby Corcoran would be leaving now that The Troubletones had lost and there was no point in keeping another show choir around. Rory didn’t like thinking about the whole mess between him and Shelby if he could help it, but he still felt sort of bad for Puck.

“Well, yes,” Blaine said, “but I think it’s different for Rory coming from another country – I’ve been a part of this.”

It actually wasn’t all that different. Rory didn’t tell them that. Blaine was probably asking himself enough questions about him without Rory adding more.

When Rachel arrived they started to sing the song that Mr. Shue had handed them lyrics to earlier when they were in the choir room and it was as their voices blended together and different people just took over a line here or there that Rory realized that despite everything that had gone on in the past few weeks these teenagers did love each other and they were all amazingly talented.

Brittany, Santana, Mercedes, and Sugar showed up halfway through the song and as they too joined in, singing in harmony while they were pulled into their group, Rory began to realize something else. They were a family. They were this amazing group of kids that would grow up to do amazing things in the world even if they were scattered around and if some of them lost touch. But, right then at this moment they were all a family and he, Rory, fit right in with them.

He sang and swayed next to his papa, and he smiled at his dad from across the room, and he hugged his aunt Brittany, and when aunt Santana looked in his direction he smiled. Since arriving in the past, he had not felt closer to having his family with him than he did in that moment. But he knew it wouldn’t last longer than just this split moment, because when Rory faced reality it would tell him that he wasn’t in his time, and that his papa was dead, and that he had to make sure that Sugar didn’t mess something up because he really didn’t like the interested look in Artie’s eyes.


	8. Christmas With The Hummels

The tablecloth was different, but the table wasn’t and the people around it were all his family, Sam included. Rory sat next to his dad and had his uncle across from him with Rachel who had joined them for no other reason that because even though she was Jewish she would have to get used to doing Christmas as well if she and Finn were going to last. Sam was there because he was technically living at the Hummel-Hudsons and he wasn’t getting back to his parents until the morning. Rory was there because once Kurt found out that he was going to spend Christmas alone he wouldn’t hear of not having him there. His papa was the only one absent and Rory couldn’t help but notice how easily this was a reflection of the future.

Christmas at his grandparent’s house was just as he remembered it and Rory now knew for sure that his dad wasn’t lying when he’d told Rory that things were always done the same way every year.

Their tree was decorated in the multicolored ornaments that he remembered and although some were missing and others were entirely new to Rory, it looked so familiar that for a moment upon first seeing it he had almost allowed himself to believe that he was in the future having Christmas in Ohio. That fantasy was ruined when his dad came up behind him and his age was unmistakable.

Still, it was a better Christmas than he’d been looking forward to earlier that week when he was singing Blue Christmas in the choir room, and he smiled at his dad as he was passed a bowl of mashed potatoes. He spooned a bit onto his plate and passed the bowl to Sam.

“How early are you planning on heading out tomorrow, Sam?” Carole asked.

“Probably as soon as I wake up,” Sam said, “I hope there won’t be too much traffic it being Christmas and all. I can’t thank you guys enough for letting me stay here and inviting me to dinner and everything.”

Carole shook her hand. “No worries, Sam, and no need to keep thanking us. We’re happy to have you here.” She turned her gaze to Rory, “and you too, Rory, the more the merrier. I’m still upset with the Pierces how they thought it was acceptable to just leave you on your own.”

“My mum was coming,” Rory said and tried hard to keep a straight face while saying so.

The real truth was that Rory hadn’t wanted to go with Brittany’s family wherever they had gone for the holidays. He’d planned on spending it alone, or with Sugar. Sugar had pulled a disappearing act on him and actually hadn’t showed up to school all week. Still, he was happy to have stayed back and happy to be involved in this family’s Christmas. He was even staying with the Hummel’s until Brittany’s family returned and Rory couldn’t be happier.

“Still,” Carole said.

Out of all the people seated around the table it was only one person that he was afraid to have actual interaction with and that was with his grandpa. Grandpa Burt had always been one of Rory’s favorite people. Not only did both of his dad’s worship the man, but he was brilliant in his own way and different from anything anyone expected from him when first looking at him.

He was seated as far away from Rory as Rory could have arranged it and they still hadn’t said anything to each other. But he had given him a calculative look earlier and out of everyone in the past Rory thought he’d be the one to figure out who he was more than anyone else.

“What’s Christmas like in Ireland, Rory?”

The question left him feeling blank. Why hadn’t he researched it? How hadn’t he expected it to come up? When he was filling his locker a few weeks before when Tina made a comment about his lack of pictures or decorations, with pictures of people that he could pretend were his family he should have thought about other ways to fill the background.

He looked in the direction of his dad who had posed the question. “They’re kind of like here, I imagine. We have dinner Christmas eve and all my family goes to my grandparents so it’s a bunch of my cousins and aunts and uncles and it’s just crazy. We open presents at midnight and my papa always insists on reading some sort of Christmas story which we all protest to but love anyway.”

His voice was definitely wistful and in his mind all he could picture was that same house with all the changes that the future would bring it and with these same people minus Sam and plus his papa.

Kurt frowned at him though. “I’m sorry you’re missing it,” he said and patted his arm.

“Me too.”

The rest of dinner was not as melancholy as that and Rory found himself enjoying Finn’s exuberance over presents the next morning and the constant eye rolling shared between Carole and Kurt. Rory wondered what had happened to Finn’s earlier selflessness just a couple of nights before.

The week coming up to the holiday had been different than any Rory had experienced before. They’d spent too much money on decorations for the choir room and Finn and Rachel had been arguing for days about Christmas presents, and Rory had heard enough Christmas carols from his parents and their friends to last him a long while.

What Rory hadn’t minded was working on that Christmas show that Mr. Shue had gotten them. It had been fun to rehearse and play around on set while Artie and the camera crew figured out shots showing Rory more than ever why Artie was going to be a great director in the years to come.

Unlike his dads, Rory hadn’t had a big part, but he’d enjoyed the atmosphere of being there more than anything and he’d loved watching Kurt and Blaine sing together. They’d been far more flirtatious during practice than on the actual show when they did it live.

The entire thing had brought all kinds of memories for Rory because Christmas had always been his favorite time of the year and just catching this glimpse of his parents dancing and laughing and making innuendos during the Christmas special had been the best thing ever.

He remembered the year they’d spent the holidays in a cabin in Vermont, snowed in and without any electricity. They’d sat by the fireplace and they had just talked and laughed until the lights came back on. His dads had sung a few Christmas songs and gotten him to join them and they’d been way too mushy for his taste – but then they always were.

“So what did you end up getting Rachel?”

Rory turned to look at his dad and Finn. He had been there earlier in the week when his aunt and uncle showed up to where he and Sam were collecting donations for the Salvation Army. It had been nice to see them finally stop arguing about Finn’s present for Rachel. There had been no getting away from it during the last week before their Christmas break.

They were talking about it everywhere.

“Well the star. She probably told you, but we returned the gifts we bought for each other and gave the money to charity.”

“That’s really nice of you, Finn.”

“I’m more surprised Rachel went along with it.”

Grandpa Burt spoke then, “Isn’t she Jewish?”

“Yeah, she is.”

Dinner went along swimmingly. It was the perfect way to spend the holiday and when it was over he, Finn, and Sam helped up with the clean up. He wound up taking things into the kitchen and putting away leftovers while the other two boys washed the dishes.

His dad was exempt from chores because he’d done a lot of the cooking with Carole.

“And now, games!” his uncle shouted.

When they entered the living room a game of monopoly had been set up and his dad was seated on the floor with his phone out. He was frowning.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Grandpa Burt asked.

“It’s Blaine. He got into a fight with his dad.” He rolled his eyes, “he didn’t say anything about it, but I know it must have upset him if he texted me.”

There was a longing in his words that he didn’t want to voice, a need to be with Blaine and to be able to comfort him and make sure that he really was okay. Rory could real all of it right on his face and he hoped that his grandpa could as well.

“Invite him over,” Burt said, “he can even stay the night. It’s Christmas and I know you’re not going to sleep tonight until you know he’s alright.”

Rory sat down in one of the couches and he watched their interaction. He’d forgotten how amazing his grandfather was. His dad’s face lit up.

“Really?” he asked, “I – I’ll go call him.”

He walked up the stairs and Rory looked after him with a small smile. It would be the family Christmas he’d wanted, then, if Blaine did show up. They might be a little younger and not really know who he was but they would be together and Rory would get at least that out of it.

It wasn’t until he turned back that he realized for the first time that he was in a room alone with his grandfather. Grandma Carole had gone upstairs to get some sleep because she’d actually worked that morning and had gotten home only to work on their dinner. Sam and Finn were still in the kitchen.

“You look just like him,” Grandpa Burt said, “you even have some of his mannerisms. And you look at him like he’s very important to you.”

Rory didn’t know how to respond. His mouth opened and closed a few times.

“So, who are you?”

Grandpa Burt leaned forward and lifted his hands up as if to say he was waiting for a response.

\- - -

Blaine leaned back and closed his eyes. It stung to know that not even the holidays could put his family’s issues behind. Logically, he knew that it had more to do with Cooper not coming home than with him, but the words still hurt and what hurt more was his mom not bothering to stand up for him.

When the phone rang he was startled, but he grabbed at once and he even gave a small smile when he realized it was Kurt.

“Hi,” he said, “you didn’t have to call. I’m fine really.”

“Well,” Kurt said, “I don’t think you’re telling me the truth. My dad also said you could come over. Dinner’s over but there’s leftovers and Sam and Rory are here so you can’t even argue that you’ll get in the way, and we were just going to start a game of monopoly.”

“I—”

Blaine couldn’t believe it. Earlier in the week Kurt had definitely invited him to Christmas dinner, but he’d declined because his family was also having a Christmas dinner and he hadn’t mentioned it to Kurt, but he had been excited for his brother coming to see them for once.

“Please say you’ll come,” Kurt said, “or I will come get you.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. He was already up from his bed and looking for his shoes. “I’ll be there soon. You’re sure it’s alright?”

“Of course,” Kurt said, “hurry. I’ll hide the dog for you.”

He laughed again. “That is the sign of a true boyfriend. See you in a bit.”

The drive over was quick, there wasn’t a lot of traffic and he didn’t hit any red lights. It had been snowing earlier in the afternoon and there was some accumulation but the streets were generally clean. When he had finished parking in front of Kurt’s house Kurt was already standing on his doorsteps, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He waved at him to hurry.

Blaine jogged towards him and Kurt threw an arm over his shoulders, bringing the blanket with him.

“Come on, come on, we literally just started the game – I rolled for you.”

Rory was seated on the floor, one of the plush reindeers that Carole had put around on the sofas clutched in his hands. Blaine was still not over how alike he and Kurt looked and he still couldn’t come up with any kind of reason for it. He wound up sitting between Kurt and Rory. The younger boy grinned at him.

“Merry Christmas,” he said.

Blaine repeated the sentiment.

“How are you, Blaine?” Burt asked.

“I’m okay. It was a minor disagreement, really. But I wish I had come here instead.”

“You’re always welcome here.”

Blaine nodded.

“Did you eat?” Kurt asked.

“Not really,” Blaine admitted.

Kurt was up immediately and headed to the kitchen. Blaine looked after him. The game of monopoly had just been started. No one had bought any deeds yet and it was actually his turn. He rolled the dice and then Rory moved his token, the dog.

“So where’s Sam? I thought he was here with you guys tonight.”

“Sleeping,” Finn said, “he’s leaving super early tomorrow and wanted to rest up. Way too early to even try sleeping, but I guess it makes sense.”

“I see.”

Rory went next and then Finn and then Burt. Kurt was back just when it was his turn to roll. He handed Blaine a plate heaped with food that he knew he wasn’t going to be able to finish. He watched Kurt roll the dice while beginning to eat. Even though it had been reheated it was still delicious.

“This is amazing,” he mumbled to Kurt.

The rest of the game went in the same manner. Rory was the bank and Finn kept arguing with him whenever he had to pay the bank any amount of money. Yet surprisingly enough when the game was drawing to a close it was Finn who was winning.

“I don’t know how he’s doing it,” Kurt muttered.

Rory handed money to Finn after landing on his property and the game went on until Kurt went bankrupt. His father followed closely after.

“It’s not in the genetics of us Hummel men to be good at monopoly,” Kurt said but he stayed on the floor and leaned against Blaine, trying to find a way to help him get the upper hand on the game.

“Well, boys, I’m tuckered out,” Burt announced and stifled a yawn, “don’t stay up too late.”

“We won’t,” Kurt said and untangled himself from Blaine long enough to stand and hug his father.

Burt had to walk around them to get out of the living room and Blaine saw him touch Rory’s shoulder as he passed. Rory looked up and there was a strange smile on his lips that Blaine thought was really familiar.

“And no funny business, you two,” Burt gave him and Kurt a pointed look.

“Dad!” Kurt cried.

\- - -

“What’s that?”

Kurt stopped humming. “What?” He asked.

It was Christmas morning and he’d woken up before everyone else. So, after getting cleaned up, he’d gone down to the kitchen and started making pancakes. Rory had come down at some point, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and yawning.

Rory pointed in the direction of his hand. Kurt couldn’t help the blush that covered his cheeks. The words were still repeating in his head. To always love you. He looked down at the ring. It was made of gum wrappers, flimsy material that could rip and break and get destroyed in minutes. To defend you even if I know you’re wrong. But it meant the world to him. To surprise you. Blaine had made it, spent hours working on it until it was perfect. To always pick up your call no matter what I’m doing. And then there was the bowtie, a perfect representation of them. To bake you cookies at least twice a year. It stood for every promise that Blaine was making to him and everything he was promising back. To kiss you whenever and where ever you want. Even if the ring didn’t last forever, Kurt was more than sure that he and Blaine would and for now he would just keep it to look at and remember that he belonged to someone and that that someone loved him just as he was. To make sure you always remember how perfectly imperfect you are.

“Blaine made it for me for Christmas. Kind of like a promise ring, but better.”

Rory yawned. “It’s nice. Do you think you and Blaine will get married some day?”

Kurt flipped the pancake on the pan and then turned to really look at Rory. “I think so, yeah,” he said, “or, I hope so. I can’t picture my life without him.”

That brought him back to when Blaine had given him the ring and how fast he had jumped to say yes to marriage. He definitely did hope that he and Blaine could be that couple that managed to actually make it past high school and college.

Rory sighed. It wasn’t an annoyed bored sigh, but a dreamy one, wistful like he couldn’t wait until he had what Kurt had.

“You’ll find someone someday, Rory,” he told his friend, “plenty of time and plenty of girls out there. You are into girls right?”

Rory was blushing, then.

“Either is fine, you know,” Kurt continued, “and when it’s right, it’s right.”

For some reason he felt like he needed to reassure and advice Rory. The boy wasn’t that much younger than Kurt, but ever since he’d met him he’d just felt protective and caring and way too invested in his well being. It didn’t make sense and frankly Kurt didn’t want to really think about it.

“I, um, I don’t know for sure,” Rory said finally, “I’ve never…”

Kurt tried to offer a reassuring smile. “There’s no rush,” he said and then removed the pancake from the pan. He reached for the bowl with batter to pour onto the pan.

His dad followed closely by Carole entered the kitchen, then. His dad still wore pajamas but Carole had changed into a nice holiday sweater that Kurt would have called tacky had it not been Christmas, and jeans. He himself had thrown on a festive outfit but it was only festive because he’d managed to match green and red together without having it look horrible.

“Good morning, boys,” Carole said and greeted them both with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Did you sleep well, Rory?”

Rory nodded. “Great,” he said.

Rory had slept on the air mattress in Kurt’s room because Finn and Sam were sharing Finn’s room and there hadn’t been any room in there for him. His dad hadn’t questioned sleeping arrangements for Blaine, so his boyfriend had slept tangled up with Kurt in his bed.

Kurt finished making the last of the pancakes while Carole busied herself toasting some bread and cutting up fruit. Kurt had already put a pot of coffee to brew, so his dad started pouring out cups.

“Can I help with anything?” Rory asked through a yawn.

“No, dear, everything’s under control.”

When Blaine and Finn finally came down – Blaine in one of Kurt’s t-shirts and the pair of pajama pants he’d brought with him the night before and Finn even more disheveled – they all sat down at the dining room table to eat. Within a few bites they were praising Kurt for his abilities in the kitchen.

\- - -

Rory was glad that there was so much going on and that so many people were around – including Rachel later in the day – to keep everyone rushing in and out of every room in the house. It made trying to stay away from Grandpa Burt all the more easier.

Out of everyone in this time he was the one that had gotten closest to figuring out who he was. Back at home he had been proud of how like his dad he was and how much his grandpa saw in him that was in Kurt, but now he wished he didn’t look so much like him. And he was also hoping desperately that he wouldn’t say anything to either of his dads. Blaine was already suspicious enough and he definitely didn’t need Kurt to start asking questions as well. Rory liked the way things were going between them.

But Grandpa Burt kept looking at him and just staring like he was waiting for the puzzle to answer itself. They hadn’t gotten to talk after Kurt left the night before because Sam had interrupted, but he’d been looking for time to talk to Rory and Rory had been avoiding him as much as he could. He knew that his time was going to run out soon.

His Papa was going back home soon even though he’d been invited to stay another night, and Finn was looking forward to long days playing video games with Puck and spending as much time as he could at Rachel’s house because her dads were going on some sort of cruise.

Rory would be staying at his dad’s house until the holidays were over. He’d been happy at the prospect of spending more time with him and Blaine – he’d already told Kurt, he would be spending practically their entire break at his house – but he hadn’t expected that he might have to try and hide from his grandfather. Sooner or later, he was going to be cornered and Rory didn’t know what would happen then, but he was definitely going to try and figure out some sort of excuse before that happened. It was too bad that Rory had never once managed to get away with lying to his grandfather.

On the upside, he had a week to spend with his family and even if they didn’t know that he was their family, they were treated him as close to and it was the best thing he could have asked for, for Christmas. It even took his mind off of thinking about the Christmas in the future that he might not be getting back for and the empty feeling that filled him up every time that he thought about his papa gone from his world.

“Merry Christmas, Rory,” Blaine said. He was wrapped up in a scarf, coat, and he even had a hat pulled down over his ears. He looked a little silly, but warm.

Blaine hugged him. Rory breathed in and hugged back, trying hard to make himself actually let go.

“I’ll probably be back tomorrow,” Blaine informed him, “see you then, maybe?”

“Yeah,” Rory said, “I’ll be here.”

He watched his father walk slowly over ice and snow to his car and waved at him as he left. It was scary how similar this scene was to when his papa had gotten into that accident. Rory had stood on their doorway and waved him along then too.

A strangled sound escaped his throat. He tried to take in a breath, but he only coughed and coughed.

“Hey, are you okay? Kid, you alright?”

Everything was fuzzy. His cheeks were wet and he was gasping for breath. Grandpa Burt let him lean into him and they got to the stairs. Rory sat. He was coming down from it. He’d never had a panic attack, but he was sure this had been one. Seeing Blaine drive away had been too close to home.

After all, Rory was stuck in this time, years and years away from the moment when his papa died, and there was no telling when he’d be getting home – if he’d be getting home or if he would even be in time to save him.

“I have to…I have to save him.”

Grandpa Burt had brought him a glass of water and he grasped it in shaking hands, lifting it up to take a drink.

“Who? Rory, you have to let me know if something’s wrong.”

“I can’t let my Papa die,” Rory said, “I can’t let it happen – you have to help me.”


	9. Yes/No

Somehow Grandpa Burt knew just what Rory needed. The warm cup of milk with honey and just a dash of nutmeg that had always been his comfort drink sat in his hands warm and familiar. It grounded him. He lifted the cup with both hands and took a sip. Delicious.

“You know, I suspected something about you the moment I saw you,” Grandpa Burt said, waiting for Rory to explain himself, “In fact, that you’re enjoying that drink – I don’t know how this is possible.”

It was one thing for Santana and Brittany to know, it was entirely different for Grandpa Burt to know the truth. But Rory couldn’t find any excuse that might make sense. There was nothing to it, he would have to tell him.

“I’m—” He couldn’t say it. The words got stuck in his throat and he just couldn’t get them out.

“Well, I know you’re related to us somehow, kid,” Grandpa Burt cut in, “though your accent did throw me.”

“I’m your grandson,” Rory got out and immediately he brought the cup up to his lips to sip at. H

“What? That isn’t possible. I’m not old enough to be your grandfather – hell, you’re just a few years younger than Kurt and I’m pretty sure he’s my only son.”

Yet despite everything that he’d just said, Grandpa Burt was staring at him in such a scrutinizing way that Rory knew he was considering it even if he couldn’t figure out how it was possible. At least he hadn’t shouted at Rory and called him a liar.

“I am Kurt’s son,” Rory said. He set down the cup on the table in front of him, “I’m from the future.”

It took a moment before Grandpa Burt spoke again. When he did, it was only to say, “but you said you needed to save your papa…does that – Rory, you have to tell me what’s going on right now.”

Rory took another long gulp. The drink would give him courage. At least he hoped.

“I’m from the future,” he said, “and I came back too far – I only meant to go back a week, but I woke up here in this time and I’m stuck until Brittany builds the time machine again. And I have to get back because –” he paused because he didn’t know how to say it out loud. He didn’t know how this would alter time.

“Because?” Prompted Grandpa Burt.

“Because in my time my papa is dead and all I wanted to do was stop that from happening and I’m here and my dad’s all alone without either of us and I miss them both so much.”

It was almost as much a surprise to Rory as it was to Grandpa Burt that he was crying. But his cheeks were wet and his eyes were burning and all he could picture was his dad curled into himself in his bed, alone and so distraught.

“Who are your parents?”

“Who else?” Rory asked.

“Kurt and Blaine?”

Rory only nodded.

Grandpa Burt didn’t seem all that surprised. It was like he had asked only so that there wasn’t a miscommunication.

“I’m glad,” he said, “and I guess anyone that meets them sees that coming.”

Rory wiped at his cheeks. He knew exactly what Grandpa Burt meant and it hurt more than ever to think that in his future that tightly bonded unit that his parents had been, had been broken irreparably.

“But something happened to one of them and you travelled back in time to save him.”

Rory nodded. He couldn’t speak or even try to explain himself. Grandpa Burt had gotten it anyway and he looked like he was trying to really wrap his mind around the whole thing.

This was how his dad found them.

“What’s going on?” He asked and stepped further into the kitchen.

Rory jumped. Had he heard anything? Rory hoped not. Kurt didn’t look like he’d just heard that Rory wasn’t just his classmate and friend. He reached for the roll of paper towels to try and clean himself up a little, but Kurt’s hand clamped over his wrist.

“Rory?” he asked and there was a strange pained sound to his voice that was so familiar he couldn’t help but look up.

Grandpa Burt stood still, watching them. Rory caught his eye and his grandpa only gave him an encouraging look.

“Paper towel’s too tough,” Kurt said awkwardly, “but you should clean up – you look a bit splotchy.”

Rory hesitated for a moment before he got up and headed out of the kitchen and to the stairs. He wiped at his face with his hands again and then paused right at the foot of the stairs.

“What happened?” he heard his dad ask.

“Kid’s just missing home,” Grandpa Burt said, “can’t blame him.” There was a pause and then, “you’re very protective of him.”

“The day I met him,” Kurt said, “he was being shoved into a locker. He’s – I don’t know – fragile and alone and I just wanted to help him. I don’t like him hurt. I don’t really understand it, but I want him to be okay and happy and to not suffer like I have at that school.”

Rory couldn’t help but smile a little bit. That was definitely his dad – the man that cared about nearly everyone around him. He moved up the stairs and was glad to not run into Finn on his way. There were only a couple more days until their break was over. New Year’s Eve was the next night and then they’d be back at school two days later.

He splashed water on his face and patted himself dry. He did feel better knowing that an adult was now aware of the situation. He and Grandpa Burt would have to discuss everything to more detail and Rory hoped that just as he always had that his grandpa would help him and make all of Rory’s problems a little easier. He knew that he would be spending a lot more time at the Hummel-Hudson house.

\- - -

Sugar spent the entire week break and the week before the break hanging out at the apartment that she was staying in. She had planned on calling up Rory or having him stay with her for the week, but those plans had flown out the window when she heard he was spending it with Kurt and his family. She hadn’t had the heart to tear him away from them and so she’d spent the holiday alone. After all, Sugar didn’t have the luxury of spending the holidays with the teen versions of her moms.

It had been alright time, time that she spent mostly thinking and trying to really figure out if her moms and Rory’s dad had known that they’d be going to the past before it happened. It had all been inconclusive.

When it was time to go back to school she’d almost been excited mostly because it would mean not having to keep thinking about her time and the holidays there and how lonely she was in the past because even though she and Rory were interacting now, they really weren’t and Rory actually seemed to be getting something out being around his parents in the past.

She didn’t get to talk to Rory the first few days, but she hung out with the glee club girls while Mercedes gossiped about Sam – and it was all kinds of weird to hear that they had dated. When she finally saw Rory again it was right after having the strangest conversation with arty.

“Legs skinnier than my arms,” she muttered to herself, “I’m an idiot. What kind of excuse even is that?”

“What are you muttered to yourself about, Sug?”

Rory smirked at her. He knew exactly what she was muttering to herself about.

“Were you just eavesdropping?”

Rory shook his head and leaned against the lockers next to hers. “Artie told me. I seriously love that we get to know him now – you know he directed all my favorite movies in the future. He’s just so cool.”

Sugar had actually forgotten that Artie Abrams was this big shot director in the future. It was probably because she didn’t care for his movies – she couldn’t even remember the title of one. Rory of course knew just who he was and even went as far as to being a fan.

“And he just tried to ask me out,” Sugar said, “ewww. He’s old in our time. He could be my dad.”

“I don’t even know if you’re joking,” Rory said.

Sugar glared at him, but she hadn’t quite mastered her mami’s glare so it just bounced off of Rory. She reached over and pinched his arm. But the truth was that Artie very well could be. Her moms had always told her that she was made from their love. She was definitely not adopted, but even though her birth mother was her mom, she was her mami’s biological child. Sugar had always thought it was cool that in a way she did belong to them both. But whenever the topic of who her father was, they always got a bit quiet.

“It was a friend,” her mami had told her eventually, “we didn’t want just any old sperm, you know.”

Her mami had never tried to keep Sugar unaware of certain aspects of life – she had always been very open about everything which had made for some interesting conversations with the other adults in her life. But somehow everyone seemed to accept that because of who her parents were.

“Will I ever get to meet him? My dad?”

They had never answered that question.

“I don’t know if I am,” Sugar said, “but I am seriously not getting attached to anyone in this time.”

Rory laughed. “So, Sugar, where’d you disappear to the last few weeks.”

She considered telling him for a moment – sharing with him how half the time she’d been happy to be alone and away from anyone from this time but how then she would cry her eyes out for missing her family. Rory looked at her with curiosity and some worry but mostly his eyes were strangely happy. Sugar couldn’t take that away from him.

“Just needed a break from it all,” she told him.

“Well,” Rory said, “I have to tell you something you won’t like, then.”

Sugar groaned. This was not going to end well. Rory had messed up something big, she was sure of it.

“What did you do?”

“I may have let the secret out to someone,” Rory said.

“Not your dads though? Right? It’s not Kurt and Blaine? They don’t know anything?” She rushed it all out, eyes wide and questioning.

“No. No, they don’t know. It’s enough your moms do. No. My grandpa. He sort of figured out after meeting me and I just ended up telling him what happened. He promised not to say anything and he’ll willing to help me.”

It could have been worse. Blaine or Kurt could have finally figured it out and freaked out because they wouldn’t have just figured out that they were from the future but who they were. So far they were safe with her moms just knowing they were from the future. Sugar was sure though, that if they ever knew just who they were – who she was – that they would be done for.

\- - -

Kurt didn’t think he should bother trying to give Mr. Shuester a song or idea for how to ask for Ms. Pillsbury’s hand in marriage. He thought the entire thing was sweet and he was all for marriage, but he didn’t think that it was for he or any of his fellow glee club members to decide how their teacher should ask his girlfriend to marry him. That was supposed to be a personal aspect of his life that he dealt with on his own.

Still though, Kurt was such a romantic at heart that he couldn’t help but be happy for them. He also kept thinking about a small red box sitting on his vanity table at home, the gum wrapper ring from Blaine sitting daintily inside.

He’d said yes. He’d been so ready to say yes without even thinking about it. He looked over at Blaine. God, did he love that boy. Kurt was definitely going to marry him someday. And he knew that when it came to a proposal it wouldn’t matter which of them did it as long as it came from them. It didn’t even have to be some fancy, long winded proposal. Simple would do just fine.

And then they would have the perfect wedding. It would happen in New York of course and all of their friends and family would be there and his dad might even walk him down the aisle even if that did make it possible for him to be construed as the bride. But he didn’t care. Maybe he and Blaine could both we walked down the aisle. Kurt knew that his boyfriend’s family life was hard, but he couldn’t help but hope that maybe in the future that would change.

So the entire week while everyone else was trying to figure out a way for Mr. Shuester to propose, Kurt tried not to sit at home and actually plan his and Blaine’s wedding. He would never admit it to anyone, but he already had a binder with color schemes picked out as well as names of flowers that could work well for them and even half designed dresses and suits. Looking through bridal magazines was a good distraction from thinking about NYADA and his certainty that he wouldn’t be getting in.

Kurt had pushed all thoughts about College aside for the holidays, but now that he was back in school, he couldn’t help but start worrying again. It’d been weeks, after all, since his application was sent. Shouldn’t he have heard something by now? His only consolation was knowing that Rachel hadn’t received anything either.

“You shouldn’t worry about this so much, kid,” his dad told him when he caught Kurt staring at the NYADA website, “even if you don’t get into that school I just know that you’re going to make it.”

“NYADA is the school, dad,” he said, “if I don’t get in, I don’t know what’ll do.”

“You’ll either apply again, or you’ll go somewhere else – that isn’t the only school. But, Kurt, the one thing you aren’t going to do is give up.”

Ever since the holidays and since Rory had stayed with them, his dad had been acting a bit strange. Any time the future was mentioned he got an odd smile that could have belonged to the Cheshire cat. It was as if his dad knew something that he wasn’t telling Kurt. When Kurt tried to question him, he just walked away.

While trying to keep himself busy, Kurt spent as much time as he could with Blaine, even helping him bake a bunch of cookies that would technically be for Ms. Pillsbury in congratulations once the question was finally popped.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do,” Blaine told Kurt, “I helped Artie with his number, but he didn’t really seem to like it. And the girls did something that was a little too emotional for Mr. Shue to use.”

“You know he already asked Finn to be his best man,” Kurt said, “does that man even have any adult friends? Seriously. I mean, maybe his crazy first wife drove them away, but still.”

Blaine had been taught to bake cookies by his grandmother and Kurt was deeply fascinated by how delicious they were. They were even better than Rachel’s “I’m sorry cookies” though really what made those taste good was that Rachel admitted to doing something wrong while handing them over.

“Was she really crazy?”

Kurt had forgotten how much Blaine didn’t know about McKinley but he quickly filled him in.

“Nuts,” Kurt said, “she was his high school sweetheart and super possessive. She pretended to be pregnant to keep their marriage from crumbling and he was planning on taking Quinn’s baby and pretending it was hers.”

“Wow,” Blaine breathed.

“Yeah, I know. I guess you don’t really know what someone’s capable even if you know them for a long time.”

Blaine had leaned over to kiss his cheek, at that point, “we won’t be like that.”

The cookies did not end up going to Ms. Pillsbury mostly because Finn arrived looking so distraught that Blaine just handed a plate over while Kurt warmed up milk.

“She lied to me,” he said, “my mom lied to me all this time. I don’t even know what to think anymore.”

It wasn’t until a while later that they got it all out of him – how he’d gotten the idea to go to the army like his dad and the dishonorable discharge that his mom had hidden all those years until she finally had to bring it up as a way to stop him from following in his footsteps.

“I just can’t believe it, you know,” he cried, “I just – I never once thought he wasn’t that honorable man that fought for our country bravely”

By the time Blaine had to head home, the cookies were gone and Finn had gone up to his room to be left alone.

“I need to think, Kurt, but thanks. Maybe I’ll call Rachel.”

The next night Finn was still as distraught as ever so he and Rachel dragged him to Breadstix with Blaine apologizing because he’d promised to hang out with Rory earlier that week and watch a bunch of movies. He’d promised with the expectation that Kurt would join them, but he told Kurt it was fine when he realized it was about Finn.

\- - -

Rory thought it was the craziest idea ever to let a bunch of teenagers who were not trained in synchronized swimming try their go at it while singing a song for the proposal between their teacher and guidance counselor.

But he went along with it clumsily and tried to get all the moves not only right but in time with everyone else’s. It was hard work and it took them days until they finally got it. By the end of it Rory was sure that the actual synchronized swim team hated them for getting roped into helping them.

In the end though, it was all worth it to watch Ms. Pilsbury crying as a ring was slipped on her finger by Mr. Shuester who looked absolutely ridiculous in his all white dripping suit.

Afterwards, Rory and the rest of the boys went to the locker room. Finn, Artie, and Sam all just dried off and got redressed but Kurt and Blaine each took a stall and Rory went to another because smelling like chlorine for the rest of the day really wasn’t attractive. He and Blaine were done before Kurt and after they got dressed and Blaine sat down to wait for Kurt, Rory sat down next to him.

“Haven’t really seen you all week,” Blaine said, “but I’ve seen you talking to Sugar.” He nudged him.

Rory rolled his eyes. He would never be interested in Sugar. She was like family. This week he had spent a whole lot of time with Sugar though; mostly because she seemed to be really lonely, especially now that the glee clubs had come back together again. Her moms ignored her. Mercedes and Rachel were suddenly as thick as thieves again and she was dealing with her own Sam drama regardless and even Kurt was staying away from that. She really hadn’t made a good impression – or so he’d been told – when she first auditioned and even Rory knew that Sugar had no voice to boast for.

“She’s nice,” Rory said, “if annoying.”

Blaine nudged him again. “I think you like her.”

“Artie likes her,” Rory said.

This was a conversation that Rory had already had with his papa once. Not about Sugar – because really she was family – but about another girl in his grade. He hadn’t had a crush on her, but they’d been friends and his papa had teased him endlessly.

“In all seriousness, though, kid, all your dad and I want is for you to be happy. I’m just teasing because I love you and I’m excited that you might be getting your first crush because soon enough you’ll have your first crazy teenage love and that’s just exciting for me even though I don’t want you to grow up.”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t.”

Rory rolled his eyes. “I don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

Kurt was in a bathrobe. He grabbed his clothes and walked around the lockers to get dressed.

“He claims he doesn’t have a crush on Sugar, but I’ve seen them talking and I’m pretty sure something’s going on there.”

They heard Kurt laugh before he responded. “Oh, really. Well, She’s a little crazy, but maybe you could mellow her out or something.”

When he’d finished getting dressed and applying moisturizer, they left the locker room and Rory walked next to them grinning.

“Oh, by the way, Rory, my dad wanted me to invite you to dinner Friday night. It’s a family thing, but I think he really liked you when you were around during Christmas. He came home early from Washington this week, but he’s leaving again Monday morning.”

Although Grandpa Burt had promised to help him – Rory didn’t know how – he’d had too many things to deal with in the last week. But they might be able to talk on Friday and try and actually figure something out.

The last time he’d talked to Santana she’d said Brittany was still working on the time machine, but that she’d gotten distracted by other things. Rory more than ever hated not knowing when Aunt Brittany had managed to finish building it.

“Cool. I’ll definitely be there.”

“Me too,” Blaine told them.

Kurt hit him on the arm, but the look he gave him was one filled with love. “What did you think about that proposal?”

Blaine shrugged. “Overdone.”

“Yeah,” Kurt breathed, “it kind of was.”

Rory smiled a little bit. Most of the other students had left already and it was definitely noticeable in the way that his dads held each other. Their relaxed pace and the smiles they kept shooting each other were easily the best reminders of who they would be in the future. For that reason alone and because Rory needed him desperately, his papa had to live. He had to grow old and be proud of Rory when he finally did find someone to love like his papa and dad loved each other.


	10. Remembering

Rory really didn’t like Sebastian Smythe. He hadn’t met him, exactly, other than when he’d seen a lot of the Warblers after West Side Story, but it was listening to Kurt rant that was really making him hate the other boy.

“I didn’t even know they were still talking,” Kurt was saying, “and it’s like I want him to have his friends, but he didn’t even tell me and he just thinks it’s all just okay.”

Michael Jackson week was turning into some insane glee club standoff and Rory hated how much research he’d had to do in order to really pretend that he understood how much of an icon Michael Jackson was. In his time his name was still around and his music was still praised, but it had never been Rory’s cup of tea so he wasn’t all that knowledgeable on it.

“Maybe he didn’t want to upset you,” Rory said.

“It’s just that it upsets me more to know that he’s keeping things from me. And I know Sebastian is the one calling him and pestering him, but I’d like to know about it.”

Rory had never heard a lot about Sebastian in the future, so he knew that he was an inconsequential part of their lives – a speck in the bigger picture of what they would become together. So, he wasn’t too worried about Sebastian. What did worry him was getting back to his time. Brittany had started working on the machine again and Santana told him she’d gotten some sort of breakthrough, but it just wasn’t enough. It was taking too long.

“Anyway,” Kurt said, “I’m just not going to worry about that for now. Instead, we have to figure out what we’re going to wear tomorrow.”

Rory thought it was really weird that they were going to meet the Warblers at some parking lot to sing and dance at each other to figure out who deserved to use Michael’s music during their Regionals competition. They’d already done enough Michael Jackson during Sectionals and he really just didn’t see what the whole point of it was other than an issue of pride.

Kurt went through rack after rack of black clothing. He picked out a few items and made appreciative noises when he found something particularly nice. It reminded Rory of going shopping with his dad and oddly enough that made him smile even though he’d always found shopping with him rather tiresome.

Several stores later, they finally found what they’d been looking for and Kurt led him towards the food court.

“Come on,” he said, “my treat, for dragging you around. I would have brought Blaine, but…”

It wasn’t that they were fighting, per say, but that they were giving each other space. Rory had seen them talking earlier in the hallway at school and they had been acting as if absolutely nothing was wrong except that Kurt hadn’t defended Blaine from the rest of the club when they were pestering him about telling Sebastian about Michael Jackson and when glee was over they had gone their separate ways.

“You’re avoiding each other,” Rory finished for him.

“We’re seeing each other tonight. We have a date, and the whole point is that Sebastian won’t be breaking us up. We’ll deal with everything, then.”

He and Kurt ate some frozen yogurt at a small two person table with Kurt’s bags around them, and Rory tried not to think about the last time he had done this same exact thing with his dad. It was hard not to keep comparing them and wishing that things were different.

They didn’t talk about Sebastian, Blaine, or Michael Jackson after that. Instead, Kurt asked Rory about Sugar.

“I don’t really know her,” he said, “and she’s a horrible singer, but she might be good for you.”

“Not you too!” Rory said, “I don’t like Sugar. Really, I don’t. We’re just friends.”

Kurt was a lot easier to deal with than Blaine when it came to this subject. He seemed to get that Rory didn’t want to talk about it.

“But do you have your eye on anyone, then?”

“Not really,” Rory told him.

“Not even someone back home.”

The truth of the matter was that there really was no one. He went to an all boys school and didn’t really get a chance to meet lots of girls, even from the sister school. Rory had always been a bit shy when it came to making friends.

“Nope.”

Kurt dropped the subject. “I hope you liked Friday night dinner. My dad really liked you. I think it’s because you’re here alone. Anyway, he told me to extend an invite for every week.”

“Really?” Rory asked.

Grandpa Burt was really busy with his new job, but somehow he made time for him. They’d talked twice since he’d found out the truth and Rory really did appreciate how he didn’t push for answers and yet how he wanted nothing more than to help.

“Like I said, he really liked you. Blaine didn’t even get an invite that quickly. Anyway, come on, I have to go get ready for my date. And I have to find a bag for that bowtie.”

\- - -

It all happened kind of fast. One minute he was standing there facing the Warblers and the next Blaine was pushing him out of the way, jumping in front of a slushy that had been aimed at him. Blaine fell to the ground and Kurt rushed forward, but when Blaine let out a pained cry and curled up into himself Kurt knew that something was wrong.

“Blaine? Blaine? Are you alright?”

He was crouched down on slushy but he didn’t care, all that mattered was Blaine and Blaine was making awful pained noises. This was not the reaction that anyone had to a slushy even if it was the first one they were hit with.

The Warblers all ran off but Kurt didn’t even give them mind. Instead he was trying to get Blaine to take his hands off his face to access the damage.

“You’re going to be okay, sweetheart, you’re going to be just fine.”

Blaine just moaned. Kurt shuffled closer and he slowly turned Blaine’s face.

“You have to let me see, Blaine.”

Someone handed him a water bottle and Tina and Mike were both suddenly kneeling on Blaine’s other side. Tina helped to take Blaine’s hands from his face. His eyes were closed and his face covered in melting slushy and the red dye. But something else had to be in there – a slushy had never hurt Kurt this much. Kurt turned Blaine’s face and poured some of the water. Blaine made a hissing noise and he kept his eyes closed tight.

When he turned back to look at the others he saw that Finn and Rachel were gone.

“Getting the car,” Tina said.

Kurt nodded. It was only when and Finn and Rachel appeared in Rachel’s car that he noticed Rory and how he was apart from everyone else, sitting on the cold ground and staring lifelessly in front of him. Kurt was torn, but he knew that Blaine had to come first even though for some reason he desperately wanted to rush over there and pull Rory into his arms.

“Bring Rory,” he muttered to Tina while helping Blaine towards the car. They put the blanket that Rachel kept in her trunk on the backseat to keep it from staining the seats and they got him inside. Kurt let him rest his head on his lap and ran his hands through his hair soothingly.

“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured from time to time, “you’ll see.” He tried to hide how scared he really was and it helped that he had to be brave for Blaine and let him be frightened. In that moment he had to be strong and hold it together and believe that everything was going to be fine and that Blaine’s eyes wouldn’t be damaged

Rory climbed into the car, helped by Tina who then ran back to Mike’s car, and he looked so white that Kurt knew instantly something was wrong. The moment he sat down, his eyes went to Blaine and they remained trained on him, staring so intently and with clear fear written over them and yet he seemed to be in a whole different world entirely. Kurt bit down on his bottom lip hard and then he extended one of his hands out and touched Rory’s wrist. Rory gasped and looked up and then he was sobbing.

“Rory, it’s going to be just fine,” Kurt said.

The other boy nodded and then he dropped his head against the window and closed his eyes tight. Light poured in from outside and until then, Kurt hadn’t realized that the car was moving.

Finn was sitting in the front with Rachel who kept trying to glance back and at the same time keep her eyes on the road. Kurt could see how tight she held onto Finn’s hand. Finn was on the phone, but Kurt couldn’t focus on what he was saying. Blaine was whimpering on his lap and Kurt tried to smooth down his hair from his forehead.

“You’ll be perfectly fine.”

\- - -

Rory felt like he wasn’t actually there. He was lost in a haze of remembering how lost he’d felt mere months before when he was being rushed into a car by his dad not really understanding a whole lot other than that someone on the phone had given his dad bad news and that it had something to do with his papa not getting home from getting his supplies yet.

His dad was shaking. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white and Rory sitting on the passenger seat didn’t even try to turn on the radio. They drove fast but only just above the speed limit and when they got to the hospital Rory knew that something was really wrong.

“Dad?”

They parked and Kurt said nothing. When they got out of the car, however, Rory could tell that he had said nothing because he couldn’t – he was just holding himself together.

“Is papa okay? Dad? What’s going on?”

They rushed into the hospital. His dad wrapped an arm around his shoulders and Rory leaned into him as much as he could. Every possible scenario went through his mind from broken legs, to having been beat up, to a heart attack, and to a coma. And he tried not to think about one possibility, after it came to his mind, because his papa couldn’t be dead.

The receptionist seemed to have been so used to dealing with people in their state of mind, that she just took Kurt’s frantic questioning without batting an eye and then she grabbed a bunch of forms and put them on a clipboard.

“We need to know all of his information, sir,” she said, “your husband is still with the doctors.”

Kurt shoved the clipboard aside, “I don’t care about that. I just need to know how Blaine is. Where is he? Where is my Blaine?”

Rory had seen his dad angry before, but he’d never been like this. He wasn’t just mad, he was scared and distraught and upset in a way that he had never displayed in front of Rory.

“I don’t need to fill out some forms, what I need is to see my husband and you will find him for me, now!”

The receptionist took a deep breath. “Sir, you have to calm down. Your husband was just brought in, he’s still with the doctors. I don’t have any information to give you. All I can do is let a nurse know you’re here, but you can’t see him yet. You can fill out the form.”

“Then bring me someone that can tell me something,” Kurt said and he walked away from the desk to drop into a bench.

Rory picked up the clipboard and didn’t look at the receptionist who had grabbed the phone.

“Dad?” he asked.

Kurt looked up from where he’d dropped his face into his hands. There were tears pouring down his cheeks.

“Oh, Rory,” he said and opened his arms. Rory sat down next to him, and his dad pulled him tight into his arms, “everything is going to be okay.”

But it wasn’t. Hours later they were standing in a hospital room with the still body of Blaine Hummel-Anderson. The machines around him were turned off and there were no wires or tubing connected to him. His skin was still bruised in places, and there were cuts, but everything had been cleaned. Blaine was in a hospital gown and his eyes were closed, mouth set in a straight line, and his arms at his side. Had Rory not known any better, he would have just believed his papa asleep.

His dad gasped next to him. There was a doctor standing by the door and he was silent, looking down at the floor.

“Blaine,” his dad said and then rushed forward and draped himself onto Blaine and he kept muttering something Rory couldn’t hear.

Rory was stuck by the door not being able to properly believe what was in front of him. He would wake up and it would all be just a nightmare and his dad and papa would rush into his room and hug him and put him back to sleep. It couldn’t be happening.

“Rory, we’re here.”

“Oh.”

They got out of Rachel’s car. Kurt was still supporting Blaine who was walking but still wouldn’t open his eyes. The emergency room was a mess. There were so many people with all different kinds of issues. They put his name down on a list and the receptionist nodded and then went to call someone’s name. It was going to take hours.

Finn had disappeared right as they were entering the hospital, but he appeared then and Carole was with him. She was in her nurse’s outfit and she rushed right to Blaine.

“Oh, dear,” she said and tilted his head up, “what happened?”

“They threw a slushy on him, but it had to be tampered with – we’ve all had this happen to us before.”

Carole frowned. “Could he have been allergic?”

None of them knew. With everything going on around him, Rory had managed to stop thinking about what had happened in the future.

“Well,” Carole said, “it’s that or something got into his eyes. Can you try to open them Blaine?”

At first he didn’t even try, but when he did he cried out.

“Okay, no, bad idea. But come with me, honey, I’ll get someone to look at you right now.”

She told them to wait there, even Kurt, and had to tear Blaine away from Kurt to lead him through double doors into another part of the hospital. They all sat down to wait and even though Rory knew that everything would turn out fine he couldn’t help but worry with them.

“I’ll go get coffee,” Rachel said and patted Kurt’s hand when she got up.

Mike, Tina, Puck, Santana, and Brittany entered the hospital then and rushed towards them. Finn told them what was happening and they all found seats. Rory had wound up next to Kurt and he fought everything in himself to not lean his head against his dad’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Kurt asked, “did something happen, Rory?”

“I –”

What could he say? How could he explain anything?

“Blaine’s going to fine, Rory. It was just a slushy and they’re looking at him and he’ll be perfectly fine.”

All his memories were rushing back and all he could remember was his dad saying that before. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“You said that last time,” he said and regretted it immediately.

“What? Rory what are you talking about?”

“I – nothing.”

Rory got up, pushed up from his chair and walked out of the room. He didn’t look back. It was too much, he couldn’t handle being in that room waiting for a younger version of his papa to finish being examined and not being able to not think about the future and how that had gotten him to the past in the first place.

“I know it’s a little scary, but you’re way too freaked out about this, Rory, what happened? Something must have.”

Rory turned around. There was his dad. Ever so compassionate and caring, of course he would follow him. Rory just wanted to hug him.

“I lost someone,” Rory said, “and this – it’s just bringing everything back.”

“Oh,” Kurt said, “do you, do you want to go home?”

“To Brittany’s?” Rory asked and laughed a little, “no.”

Kurt nodded. He looked a little lost, as if he didn’t know what to do despite wanting nothing more than to do something.

“What do you need then? It has to be hard.”

Rory shrugged a little. “Maybe a hug,” he whispered.

Arms were around him and it broke him because suddenly all the tears he’d been holding back were just coming out and he was sobbing on Kurt’s shoulder and his dad’s arms tightened around him and made a shushing noise.

\- - -

Blaine leaned his head back against his headboard. He was bored senseless, but mostly because he wasn’t allowed to do anything. His mom was shadowing his every move, unless Kurt was there and then it was Kurt making sure that he was following the instructions his doctor had given him to pretty much do nothing. He couldn’t read for longer than an hour or be on his computer, and texting was definitely out of the question. So, he was bored. All he could really do was listen to music and that was just getting boring. He was going to be out of school for two more weeks after this and it was going to pretty much be much of the same.

Someone knocked on his door and then pushed it open.

“Hey,” Rory said.

Blaine immediately perked up. For the past few days he was living for visits. Most of the glee club had already come by, and Kurt was there as soon as he could get out of school and he left with just enough time to make his weekday curfew. Even Kurt’s dad had come by to visit and they had watched a game together.

“Rory! I haven’t seen you in a while. Kurt told me you were dealing with some stuff.”

Rory nodded. “Yeah, it just brought some memories about someone I lost back in Ireland.”

“Oh,” Blaine said, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Rory said.

He sat down in the chair that Kurt had left just by Blaine’s bed and fiddled with his fingers.

“But, how are you?”

“Good. A little worried about the operation, but mostly I’m just bored. There’s not a lot I can do and my mom’s turned into a worrywart. Kurt has too, really, but not to the same extent. He just seems to think I’m fragile or something. Also, I’m on way too much pain medication.”

Rory laughed a little. “I was really worried about you,” he said, “I couldn’t stand knowing you’d gotten hurt like that.”

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t let it happen to Kurt.”

No one mentioned the warblers around him, not even Kurt, and Blaine didn’t really want to talk about them, or about Sebastian. He hated what he’d done, more so because it had been aimed to hurt Kurt, but mostly Blaine couldn’t understand how the rest of them had just gone along with it and let Sebastian do it. The part of him that still sort of considered them his friends told him that the rest of them hadn’t known it wasn’t just a slushy, but they had known the history that Kurt had with them. That should have been enough for one or more of them to put a stop to it.

Rory was much quieter than usual. He seemed to be spacing out, looking a bit lost. Kurt had told Blaine that he’d been acting a bit odd since the slushy incident but Blaine hadn’t given it that much thought. Now looking at him, he knew there was cause to worry. Had everything that happened really gotten to Rory that badly?

“Rory, is everything alright?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said at once, “I’m okay. Really. I should go.”

The door opened before Rory could get up and Kurt walked in holding a plate of crackers in a cheese.

“Your mom sent these up. She said you had company.” He closed the door behind him. “Rory, you’re here.”

Rory looked between them and then he burst into tears, muttering, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”


	11. Secret's Out

Kurt was sitting down in what looked like a very uncomfortable chair when Blaine woke up. He could tell it was late because the entire room was in shadow other than a small very dim light in the corner and the light streaming through the window on the door from the hallway. Kurt was holding onto his hand, but the grip was loose because he was fast asleep. There was even drool on the corner of his mouth and Blaine thought he looked adorable.

His face felt a little numb. His eye was still covered with all the bandages and the eyepatch. He reached up with his free hand to touch the area. The doctors had told him that the operation was nothing to worry about, but that it would mean more rest – he’d miss another week of school until the bandages and eyepatch could come off.

Staring at Kurt for a while longer reminded him of the last time they’d spoken before he was wheeled off, already groggy, to the operation room. Kurt had promised that they would finally get to talk about it when he woke up. Even though Kurt looked peaceful, Blaine knew that he’d want to be woken. So he squeezed his hand a little and then called out his name.

“Kurt,” he said, “Kurt, wake up.”

“Huh?” He almost toppled out of the chair, but righted himself just in time.

Blaine couldn’t help but giggle.

“Stop it,” Kurt said and then, “oh, you’re awake. How do you feel? Everything alright? Do you need me to call a nurse or…”

“I’m fine, Kurt,” Blaine said, “just calm down, will you? I’m just fine. Just a bit tired, but also really awake?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “You’ve been out since early this morning,” Kurt said and rubbed at his eyes, “this is definitely going to throw off your sleep pattern. But really, you’re okay? The doctor said the operation went fine, but I still worried a bit.”

“Even though you know for a fact that I will still have perfect vision some twenty years from now?”

“So, we’re going to talk about that now, then?” Kurt lifted one of his legs to cross over the other and then dropped it back down to the ground. He didn’t look at Blaine.

Blaine shifted in the tiny bed. “Come here,” he said.

Kurt looked up. Blaine was patting the empty spot on the bed.

“There’s room for both of us, even if a little tight, it’s fine.”

Kurt hesitated for a moment before he slipped his shoes off and then climbed into the bed. Blaine immediately pulled him closer. They were facing each other so Kurt easily cupped Blaine’s face, being careful of the eyepatch and the bandages before he leaned in and kissed his lips softly.

“Are you still in denial?” Blaine asked.

Kurt sighed. “We’re really going to talk about it.”

“It’s just that I don’t understand why you just couldn’t even let him explain, because everything Rory said made perfect sense to me, you have to admit it, Kurt, the two of you look really alike and…”

Kurt interrupted him, “I just can’t imagine it being possible. Things like these don’t happen to me. And, Blaine, as much as I’ve thought about us and the future, I’ve never once imagined that it might be more than just the two of us. Not to mention just how impossible this all is. If he is who he says he is then why is he here? And why? If watching Back to the Future with Finn has taught me anything then he’s not just here on some weird trip for fun, he’s here to fix something.”

Blaine hadn’t really had the time to give everything as much thought as Kurt had. He’d been a bit surprised but then for him everything had made sense once he put everything together. Of course Rory was their son. He looked like Kurt, he had some of his mannerisms, and he gravitated towards them and they to him like they belonged together. He’d asked questions of course, but Kurt had been so distraught, and Rory himself had been a mess that they hadn’t lead anywhere and then Rory just left and Kurt refused to talk about it, promised to later, and then it was his operation and there had been a lot more to worry about.

But Kurt had had the time. Kurt might have been thinking a bit too much, in fact.

“He’s our son,” Blaine said, “in fact, I’m pretty sure he’s your biological son. Hadn’t you wondered why you got so protective over him? Why he became this confidante for you or why you could just hug him? You’re not someone that reaches out to anyone, but with him you did. I was a little jealous to tell you the truth, but instinctively I just know it wasn’t really anything.”

Kurt leaned his head against Blaine’s shoulder. “And if he is? Then, what?”

“Then,” Blaine said, “we have a future to look forward to where we’re probably married with a son. And we try and help him now because there has to be a reason he’s here, but really I think we have to just be his friends.”

Kurt nodded and kissed Blaine again. Somehow he should have known that Blaine would make him feel better about all of it. What he really needed though was to talk to Rory again and apologize for his reaction. Guilt churned in his stomach, how could Rory be feeling right that moment? Kurt moved away from Blaine to get out his phone.

“What are you—”

“I need to talk to him. I shouldn’t have reacted that way, I probably hurt his feelings and I just want to hear his voice. Our son, Blaine! Gosh, I never thought I would ever have that.”

Blaine was grinning widely, but he took the phone out of Kurt’s hands. “It’s really late, I think, we don’t want to wake him.”

“But…”

“We can call him tomorrow and ask him to come here or maybe to my house I might be released in the morning.”

Kurt sighed and nodded. “Okay. Fine. Although he’s probably up worrying about you. I guess I get now why he freaked out so much even though…”

“What?” 

“He said someone close to him had died,” Kurt said, “he said that’s why he was so upset when you got hurt that it reminded him of what happened. What if that wasn’t a lie? What if someone did die in the future?”

They stared at each other for a long moment neither wanting to voice what had come to their minds first, that it had been one of them. Kurt picked up his phone and dialed, this time Blaine didn’t stop him.

\- - -

Rory was sitting in the Pierce’s kitchen, holding a cup of warm milk between his hands wishing that he had thought about his unstable emotions before he went to see Blaine the other day. But he’d wanted to see for himself that his papa was okay. It was stupid because of course he was going to be okay, but for Rory it had been much too soon to see him hurt. The operation had happened earlier that day and he’d heard nothing about it. Kurt hadn’t called or texted and Rory kept staring at his phone wandering if he should be the one to call and yet not wanting to be a bother.

Kurt hadn’t believed him when he finally told them. No lie had popped into his head to explain himself and then he’d decided that maybe they should know. He hadn’t thought about Sugar and how she’d told him not to tell them anything about it, instead he’d just dropped the truth on them and his dad hadn’t reacted too well and his papa was so medicated that Rory hadn’t been able to trust how easily he’d accepted it. He’d left them quickly afterwards and hadn’t heard from them since. Of course he’d seen Kurt at school and been there when they finally dealt with the Warblers but his dad had been rushing back to Blaine’s side and Rory hadn’t really wanted to approach him either. 

His phone began to ring. A picture of his dad came up on the screen. He was making a funny face, one eyebrow raised, and his nose wrinkled. It had been taken without Kurt knowing it was being taken weeks before by Blaine. Rory stared at it for just a moment and then he answered.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hey, Rory,” his dad said.

“How is Blaine? Is he okay?”

“Yes. He’s just fine.”

Rory thought that his dad sounded a bit strange, but he didn’t want to say anything that might upset him again.

“We want to talk to you about the other day and a few other things. But first I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have taken it how I did or gotten mad at you. I’m so sorry, Rory.”

Rory hadn’t expected that of course he’d understood why his dad had reacted so badly, but he hadn’t expected for him to come around so soon and apologize when he didn’t need to.

“I know it was a shock,” Rory said and then, “Do you believe me, then?”

There was a pause, and then, “I want to. I think I do.”

There was some sort of shift and it was his Papa who spoke next.

“I think Kurt needs a bit more time, but I believe you, Rory. It all just made sense after you told us. Anyway, it’s getting a bit late. So, maybe you should get to bed, alright. We’ll call you and talk tomorrow.”

Rory smiled a little bit. Before when they acted parent-like it was just them being a little caring. It was pure coincidence. Now, it was different. They knew and somehow acted just like they had before.

“I’ll call you, alright? Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Rory returned and before he could help himself, “I love you.”

Rory froze. But hadn’t hung up the phone either.

“Blaine? What?” Kurt voice was in the background.

“I can’t say that, not yet,” Blaine said slowly, “but I’m sure the me in the future does. I’m sure they do very much.”

“I know,” Rory said, “but I still wanted you to know. Goodnight.” He hung up and immediately dropped his head on the table.

That they knew still didn’t make them the dads he missed and wanted, and he had to remind himself of that because not much was going to change. He stayed in the kitchen a while longer to finish his milk. He rinsed the cup and then headed upstairs missing more than ever the comfort of his own room. He changed into pajamas and into bed. If only he could wake up in the morning with everything back to normal.

\- - -

Kurt draped a throw over Blaine and fixed the crooked pillow behind him.

“You know I’m not on bed rest, right? I’m just not supposed to strain my eyes.”

Kurt sighed and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. “I know, but you are supposed to rest.” He leaned in closer and cupped one side of his face, “I want you back on your feet as soon as possible.”

“Kiss?” Blaine asked.

Kurt rolled his eyes but leaned in and laid a simple kiss on his boyfriend’s lips. He pulled back, but pecked his lips again and then finally moved off the bed.

“Come back,” Blaine said and extended out his hand.

Kurt laughed and took hold of his hand. “Our son will be here in five minutes, I think even though we’re—shit.”

“What? What is it?”

“Rory,” Kurt said, “I asked Rory for advice on having sex with you. No wonder he looked so uncomfortable. That must be damaging.”

Blaine had looked startled for a moment, but then he was laughing. The bed shook he was laughing so hard and Kurt couldn’t help but smile a little bit. He had a lot to apologize to Rory for. He joined Blaine on the bed and for once since everything had happened he finally took a moment to think on the bright side of things. He and Blaine were going to last long into the future. They would have a son who really had grown up to be an amazing person.

Kurt had never been one to doubt his future with Blaine, but of course it had never been something he could guarantee a hundred percent. Now, he could. He and Blaine were forever and now there was no doubt whatsoever.

“I can’t believe you went to Rory about that,” Blaine said.

“It was when we were fighting. I’ve always felt very comfortable talking about anything with him. I guess we know, now, why.”

Blaine pulled Kurt closer to him, holding onto both his hands. There was a knock on the door and then it was pushed open and Rory peaked in.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hey,” Kurt said and let go of Blaine’s hands to turn around.

"So I guess we should talk," Rory said and Kurt could only nod.

It was a little weird looking at Rory now and knowing that he wasn't just some guy he's met at school but his own flesh and blood. It was only in that moment that Kurt thought to wonder how they'd done it. Was one of their friends in the future their surrogate? Or had they contracted some stranger? Did Rory himself know his mother? Despite how pressing every question that popped into his mind was, Kurt refrained from asking every single one of them. There had to be some mystery to his future. He couldn't know everything that was coming. It would take all the fun out of living it if he did.

"So you're our son," Blaine said.

Rory sort smiled and lowered his head. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"What we want to know," Kurt said, "is why you're here. You clearly don’t belong in this time."

“It was a mistake,” Rory said.

Kurt motioned for him to take the seat that Kurt had pulled up close to the bed. Rory removed his shoes and dropped the bag he’d been carrying. He held himself a little different, both more relaxed and weighed down.

“What happened?” Blaine asked.

“Something happened and I was very upset,” Rory said carefully, “Aunt Brittany—”

“As in Brittany Pierce?” Kurt asked.

Rory nodded. “Yes, she is brilliant, actually, Brittany. An inventor.”

Kurt couldn’t help but snort. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Rory said and he actually looked a little offended, but his expression changed quickly enough, “I know she’s a little out there, but that’s what makes her such a genius I guess. Anyway, she created a time machine – she’s creating it now. I’ve been around her for as long as I can remember and I’ve been around the things she’s created so I always knew about it but it was never anything that got a patent.”

Kurt shared a look with Blaine. He couldn’t believe that Brittany had actually gone and built a time machine. He did remember seeing Jacob Ben Israel’s video from the first week of school and how she’s made some mention of a time machine. He made a note to pay more attention to her when she spoke.

“So, something happened,” Blaine said, “and you thought you’d go back and change it?”

Rory nodded. “I guess I thought if I wanted it enough it would take me to the time I wanted to go. It doesn’t quite work that way. It just brought me here to Brittany’s basement and when I got up the stairs I was suddenly an exchange student from Ireland so I just went with it. Santana and Brittany know, they were expecting me.”

Here Rory hesitated, but then he seemed to make up his mind a moment later, “you can’t let her know I told you, but Sugar is also from the future.”

Kurt’s eyes widened and he coughed. “She’s not your sister, is she?”

Rory shook his head fervently. “No! Definitely not.”

“Oh, good.”

“More like a cousin,” Rory said, “and I won’t say more on who her parents are. You sent her after me. Future, you, I mean, after it all happened you sent her after me, but it got her here before me and I don’t know what she did or how but she figured everything out and she just fixed up my arrival.”

Rory had his hands clasped in front of him and he looked a little worried.

“What happened?” Kurt said, “what made you think that only time travel could be the way to solve something?”

Rory looked away from them.

“Rory?” Blaine asked.

“You can tell us anything,” Kurt added.

Rory shook his head. “Don’t do that,” he said, “don’t act like them.”

Kurt looked at Blaine and saw that his boyfriend was also looking a bit startled. Neither knew what to say. Kurt bit down on his lip.

“You said someone close to you had been to a hospital very recently,” Kurt said, “so I’m thinking it was in the future. And I can’t think of anyone else but Blaine and I being so important in your life. So, what happens, Rory?”

Rory looked back and forth from both of them and then he shook his head. “I can’t,” he said, “I can’t tell you what happens because that will change everything.”

“Or solve it,” Kurt said, “please Rory?”

Blaine’s hand took hold of Kurt’s and Kurt looked away from Rory.

“No,” Blaine said, “you won’t force him to tell us anything, Kurt, he’s said enough. We can talk about something else.”

Rory physically calmed down and Kurt nodded before he got off the bed to go stand by Rory. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help but worry.”

Rory shook his head. “It’s who you are, dad.”

Kurt gasped.

“Sorry,” Rory said.

“Don’t be.”

\- - -

Sugar thought Rory was acting a little strange. It was an odd week at school with Mr Shuester introducing the hot night school Spanish teacher to them. Sugar was sure that something was up with him though and she couldn't just pass it off as being about Blaine's injury anymore. Thy ll knew that he was going to be okay. His surgery had gone well and he'd be back before they knew it. It was too bad that he was missing Mr. Hottie but Kurt was doing enough drooling for both of her uncles combined.

Her Mami had taken direct offense over everything that Mr. Shue said this week and Sugar knew that she's been the one to put in a complaint about him. Sugar hadn't really grown up knowing much about her Hispanic side so she had mostly just found everything hilarious.

"Hey," Artie said rolling up to her. He was holding a sombrero and looking a little uncomfortable.

Ever since Artie has asked her out things had been a bit awkward. The worst part was that Sugar actually thought Artie was really cool. She hasn't met him even once in the future. She knew of him of course. Everyone did. Rory had always been a big fan and Sugar hated thinking about it but she knew that her mom had dated him once.

"Hey," She said.

"I hope there's no hard feelings," Artie said, "I've just been a bit lonely and with valentine's say coming up..."

Sugar didn't think before she spoke next, "I'm throwing a party," she told him, "it's my favorite holiday."

Artie nodded and smiled a little bit.

"I'll see you in glee."

She nodded and smiled. He rolled away with his hat and Sugar couldn't help but look after him and sigh. It was very much unfair that a guy that nice wasn't from the future.

Rory and Kurt were standing together at Blaine's locker. Even though he was out of school an supposed to rest Blaine was still asking for his homework. Sugar thought it was crazy. If she had been out of school with a genuine excuse she would have never asked for her homework.

When she approached them, Rory stopped talking. Kurt glanced at him and then at Sugar.

Sugar hadn't really interacted with Kurt all that much. She had originally been keeping her distance from all of them and then it felt awkward and although she didn't want to really admit it she always felt a bit jealous that she and her moms couldn't have that kind of relationship. Santana and Brittany were full of issues though. Had she not been living proof that they would be happy together in the future, Sugar would have really doubted them ever lasting.

"Did you need something?" Kurt asked.

"Not really," Sugar said, "frankly I've forgotten what I needed to say."

Rory was staring at his father with an odd expression that was not his usual one of adoration and it was that which gave him away.

He had told.

"You told them!"

Rory resembled a light struck deer and Kurt the better actor pretended to look confused but Sugar knew that they were both hoping she'd just believe that nothing had been told.

"I cannot believe you! This is the one thing you weren't supposed to do. I even let you be their friend."

Kurt looked between the two of them and then he placed a hand on Rory's shoulder. They looked so much like the father and son of the future that Sugar almost forgot that this Kurt was much younger.

"He hasn't told me everything. And I do believe him. It's happened and Blaine and I know now and were going I try and help as much as we can."

Kurt was so calm that Sugar couldn't argue back. The only thing she feared was that this might change something. She voiced her concern.

"And what if we were supposed to find out?"

"You can't know that you were supposed to," Sugar said but then she shrugged, "but I guess there's nothing we can do anymore. Just, Rory, be careful what you tell them."

He nodded.

She walked out of their way and tried to remind herself that there really was nothing to be done and that for that reason alone she shouldn't be so angry. When she looked back at them they were laughing and Kurt seemed to stand closer to Rory and he was always touching him as if to make sure he was real. He was made to be a father, to be Rory's dad.

As she walked away she realized one other thing, she was going to have to plan a Valentine’s Day party. But first she had to go and switch into Spanish.


	12. Wooing Sugar

A week and a half without Blaine was easy to handle, but another week without him and with Valentine’s day being the only thing anyone could talk about, was harder than Kurt could have expected. On the upside, Sugar had managed to find the money – Kurt didn’t know how – to make it so that the Glee club didn’t have to bring back that awful bake sale or worse do sing-o-grams. But Sugar was also throwing a party and Kurt was beginning to wonder just where she was getting all the money to even buy everyone presents.

It was also a little concerning that Artie kept looking at Sugar with a weird smile that Kurt remembered being present only when he was dating Brittany. Before he knew about the whole time travel thing he wouldn’t have been too concerned about it all, but now he was. Sugar couldn’t date Artie. He’d be some twenty years older than her or more in her time. Why had she proclaimed that everyone had to bring a date?

Kurt could not see any of it going well.

When Glee was over, Kurt caught up with his son. It was weird thinking about Rory as his son, but Kurt was slowly getting used to it. Rory was looking at the chocolates and trying to choose one out of the box.

Out in the hall things were red and pink all over. There were hearts taped to lockers, candy gram flyers, and streamers. Last Valentine’s Day he’d still been at Dalton and there hadn’t been decorations up there, something that Kurt had been glad for especially after Blaine sang to someone else. He’d sort of been looking forward to this Valentine’s because he knew it was Blaine’s favorite holiday, but so far all he got to see was everyone else already getting cards or chocolates, but not him.

“What’s going on with Sugar and this party?”

Rory shrugged. “She’s always thrown a Valentine’s Day party back home,” Rory said, “I guess she’s continuing tradition here though I have no idea why she’s demanding everyone have a date. I don’t think I’ll go if that’s the case.”

Kurt shook his head. “You are going,” he said, “you are going with Sugar.”

“What?”

“Who else is she going to go with? You know she can’t get romantically involved with anyone else from this time and I thought Tina said he already asked her out once.”

Rory had just popped his chosen chocolate in his mouth. So he was chewing, eyes wide.

“I’m serious. You have to ask her to go with you.”

Rory finished chewing. “She’s like my sister.”

“You’re a good actor.”

That said, Kurt decided it was time to just walk away. He walked down the hall to his locker and was surprised when an envelope fell out when he opened it. So someone had left him a Valentine. He smiled a little to himself as he picked the letter up. He couldn’t think of anyone but Blaine doing anything for him. He opened it carefully to not rip the envelope.

The picture of the front was of cupid and the arrow that had been released from his bow was on the back of a guy with heart eyes.

Confetti hearts fell out from inside the card.

Be Mine – from your secret admirer

For a split second Kurt frowned at the handwriting. It wasn’t exactly like Blaine’s but it was somewhat close and maybe he was trying to throw Kurt off. He smiled a little and put it under a magnet on the inside of his door. He gathered all the books he’d need to study and do homework and closed his locker.

He spotted Rachel and Finn walking arm in arm and bit down on his lip. He’d been debating what he was going to do for a few days now ever since he’d found out that Finn had proposed to Rachel. On the one night he’d torn himself away from Blaine, though mostly because Rachel insisted, Kurt had slept over at her house with Mercedes. His dad had questioned him and even talked with Rachel’s dads until he was finally convinced that it wasn’t Kurt just using it as an excuse to spent even more time with Blaine.

Rachel had told them while Kurt was trying not to salivate over Taylor Lautner’s abs, and the subsequent question had floored him and thrown him back to Christmas and the gum wrapper ring that Kurt still had in its box hiding in a drawer in his room. Sometimes he took it out and put it on his finger and pretended that they really were engaged. Ever since Rory had told them the truth he hadn’t even needed the ring to pretend, because he and Blaine were definitely getting married. Kurt hadn’t asked about Finn and Rachel and he was afraid to.

He’d debated for a few days and even brought it up to Blaine – but not Rory – and Blaine hadn’t known what the right thing to do would be either.

“I just don’t think they’re doing it for the right reasons,” Kurt said, “Finn’s so confused about his future and you know he had that whole army idea and if Rachel and I get into NYADA I just can’t imagine him in New York. What would he do there?”

“Right – and as a side note you’re totally getting in – but,” Blaine said, “I get what you’re saying, but they’re in love. Like we are.”

Kurt had shaken his head. “It’s not the same. It’s like something my dad said once, that before you can lose yourself in another person it’s necessary to really know yourself. Well, Finn is kind of floundering right now. He’s not ready for this commitment. I’m half tempted to ask Rory if they do go through with this and if it works out.”

“Well, then, you have your answer.”

Kurt had nodded. “I feel like I’ll be betraying Rachel, she told me this in confidence.”

“But Finn’s your brother.”

“And she’s one of my best friends. I just want what’s best for them. I already tried talking to Finn about it and it’s just no use.”

“They’ll have to tell their parents sometime.”

So, Kurt had finally made a decision. He had waited to see if Finn would say anything to Carole or Kurt’s dad. When nothing happened, he made his decision.

When he got home some ten minutes later, his dad was also just arriving. It was odd to his dad in a suit more than in his flannel and trucker hats, but Kurt was getting used to it and frankly, he liked how it made his dad look.

“Hey, Kiddo,” his dad said, “why aren’t you with Blaine? Seems like you’re spending all your time there lately.”

“I needed to talk to you, actually,” Kurt said.

“Oh.”

“It’s about Finn,” Kurt said, “he, um, asked Rachel to marry him. She said yes. I only found out because Rachel had to tell someone. I thought maybe you should know.”

His dad was really quiet, as if he were taking in the news and didn’t know just quite what to do with them.

“Do her dads know?” He asked at long last.

“I don’t think so.”

His dad nodded. “At least you and Blaine won’t be throwing something like that at me any time soon, right kid?”

Kurt nodded. “Not until we’re out of college, dad. But, he’s it for me. I don’t think I could ever love someone like I love Blaine.”

His dad just smiled and nodded again. Kurt would be forever glad that his dad just seemed to understand that when Kurt spoke about Blaine that way he really did mean it. He wondered for a moment how he would have reacted if it had been he and Blaine who were deciding to get married.

“Anyway,” Kurt said, “I think I’m going to head over to Blaine’s.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to Carole and we’ll figure something out. Thanks, Kurt, I know it must have been hard to decide to tell me.”

Kurt nodded.

\- - -

Rory leaned his head back and groaned. He was surrounded by pink and red. The Hummel living room had never looked as tacky as it did in that moment and Rory wanted to just curl up into a ball and sleep until Valentine’s was over.

“Come on,” his dad nudged him, “we have to plan out when you’re giving her all of these things.”

Rory shook his head. “I don’t care. Can’t I just shove it all at her at once and hope she gets to her senses?”

Kurt shook his head. “You know this is her payback, right? You told me and Blaine about being from the future and she got pissed and now she’s decided to be just as irresponsible.”

Rory knew his dad was right and that he’d have a better time getting Sugar to get over herself if he actually tried to woo her. Even though Sugar had always been the smarter one of the two of them she was still sometimes petty and she was definitely stubborn. She didn’t want to admit that Rory was right, and more than that, she wanted to see him squirm. Rory had no doubt that she wouldn’t agree to go with Artie, she knew it’d be stupid to lead him on, but she wanted to wind Rory up and have him chasing after her until she decided to acquiesce and say yes. He’d seen the glint in her eye earlier when he gave her the bag of candy hearts.

“But did we have to buy so much?”

“If you don’t use it, it can go towards party decorations or Blaine. Speaking of, I should call him before his medication puts him to bed.”

Rory felt bad about intruding in the time his dad usually spent with his papa, but he’d needed him and his car and Kurt had been ready to help. Rory thought he was getting almost as much of a kick as Sugar was getting out of it.

He pulled the tag off the large heart pillow that read ‘be mine’, it was going to be the first thing he gave her the next day, followed by the chocolate roses. He wasn’t sure what he would give her next, but he had a lot to pick from.

“Hey,” Kurt said, “yeah, Rory’s still here. We’re trying to figure out in what order he’ll give her everything. I think we bought more than half the store.”

“Aww, I wish I could be there with you guys. I can’t believe my parents are making me stay home for so long. The doctor says I can go back to school, but mom’s insisting and she keeps shoving soup at me, Kurt, I don’t think she gets that it’s a physical wound and not a very serious one.”

Rory giggled a little, but mostly because his papa had always been pushing him to eat soup when he was sick, even when it was just a headache. Now, he knew where he’d gotten it from.

“Well, I wish I could have come see you today. I’ll try to tomorrow.”

Rory tuned them out after that, not wanting to listen in, but he smiled a little because they were already such an old married couple.

The stuffed bear holding a heart would be the next gift. He could follow it up with the giant heart lollypop, and maybe he could ask the god squad to sing her something. He wondered how Artie was planning on wooing Sugar and how Sugar might respond to him.

“Bye, Sweetie,” Kurt said, “I’ll tell him.”

“Tell me what?”

Kurt set his phone down, “good luck.”

The next day was one that Rory just wanted to forget. He gave Sugar her pillow, and Artie made confetti rain on her. Later her gave her the chocolate roses only to have Artie give her a full bouquet of red roses. His stuffed bear had been bigger than Artie’s, but Artie had already gotten the god squad to sing to her. Sugar gave neither of them an answer and by the end of the day, he saw her piling all of the things they’d given her into a car. Rory still didn’t know how she was managing in the past, but he just didn’t question it. She was Brittany and Santana’s daughter and Rory just knew that it meant she had her ways of getting things done.

That night he and Kurt went over to see Blaine.

“She keeps smirking at me because she knows what I’m doing,” Rory told them. He was sprawled out at the foot of his papa’s bed, “but it’s like it’s not enough and I think she’s a little out of her mind because half the time I’m pretty sure she’s considering Artie.”

“I don’t get it,” his dad said, “she seemed so upset when she learned that you told us and now she’s just ready to throw it all away for some boy.”

Rory hung his head.

“A little odd,” Blaine said, “but maybe she’s not thinking about all of that. I mean, Rory almost had a breakdown just a week ago, who’s to say she’s handling things any better?”

Rory shifted to he was on his side and facing them. “She does keep staring at her parents a lot. They’re not like you, you know. I mean, they’re together and everything but they’re really different and I know she misses them a lot but they’re not even her friends really now.”

Rory felt bad about it all, really, but there was nothing he could do short of going to Santana or Brittany and telling them that Sugar was their daughter and that really just wasn’t an option. Santana wouldn’t take it well at all and Brittany might not understand what he meant. Not to mention that Sugar would kill him. His parents had been more prepared and ready to accept it and not too much had changed between them except that sometimes Rory saw them hesitate when they spoke and other times they stared at him in ways that made Rory uncomfortable.

In the end they decided on one more gift; something that could give Sugar some of the company that she was seriously lacking.

“And when you and Sugar go home, I could totally adopt him. Right, Kurt?”

His dad had been sort of against the idea, but one puppy eyed look from Rory, and one pout from Blaine had convinced him. So, they’d left Blaine in bed and gone to the local shelter.

“You wouldn’t let us get a dog in the future,” Rory told him when they were shown to the files of cages full of barking dogs, “you said we moved around too much.”

“So, no dog. And we move? Hmm, interesting. Why do we move around?”

Rory shook his head. “Used to. Not telling. This one’s cute.”

The Pomeranian barked at him when he got close and then began to growl.

“Never mind.”

Kurt chucked. “Come on, there’s more over there. Or maybe a nice cat?”

“She’s allergic.”

Eventually they found the right one. He was only three years old and had been the only dog to not bark at Rory. They weren’t sure what his breed was exactly, but just that there was terrier in him.

The woman that dealt with the adoption specifically warned him about giving the dog as a gift.

“They end up right back in here. People don’t like surprises this big and if you don’t want to end up with the burden then you shouldn’t take him.”

They had assured him he was wanted and then they were off with the dog in a cage and a small bag of food and a couple of toys in a bag.

“Is this a good idea?” Rory asked while they drove back to Kurt’s house.

“You and Blaine seemed to think so.”

The dog barked.

“Not sure if that was agreement.”

He and Kurt laughed. His dad reached over and grabbed his hand. “I am definitely looking forward to watching you grow up. You’re such a good kid, Rory.”

Rory couldn’t help but get misty eyed. “I wouldn’t be without such a good dad. Such good dads.”

\- - -

It didn’t hit Sugar until she was watching Mojo, her new dog, lift his leg against a tree that she really had nowhere to take him. For the most part she’d been staying with Santana and she knew her Mami wasn’t going to be okay with Sugar bringing a dog home.

“Aww, he’s adorable.”

Sugar turned and found Tina and Mike. Mojo had put his leg down and was now wagging his tail while Tina began to pet him.

“I didn’t know you had a dog,” Tina said, “what’s his name?”

“Mojo,” Sugar said, “Rory gave him to me for Valentine’s day.”

Tina looked impressed. “I guess you’re going with him to your party then?”

Sugar shrugged. She probably would. It was stupid to even consider going with Artie. She’d had a bit of a stupid moment earlier in the week when she’d decided that it wouldn’t matter if she took anyone from this time to her party. After Rory had gone and told his dads about them being from the future, Sugar had gotten so upset that she wanted nothing more than to turn around and so something equally as thoughtless, and then she’d announced that only couples could come to her party. It had been a huge mistake. She was glad that Rory had decided to ask her, but even though Sugar knew she’d be saying yes, she wanted to make him suffer for as long as possible. She had never thought it would lead to a dog.

“You should,” Tina said.

“Speaking of your party,” Mike said, “Blaine wanted me to ask you for a favor.”

Sugar was surprised. “Oh,” she said.

“Actually, we were going to visit him. Would you like to come?”

“Ooh, yes, and you can bring the pup, Blaine would love to have that kind of company.”

Sugar hesitated for a moment and then she nodded. “Sure.”

Sugar hadn’t seen her uncle since before he’d been injured by Sebastian. Before then she hadn’t interacted with him much, either. And now that he knew she was from the future, well, Sugar had expected to stay away from him even more. But now a plan was forming. If there was anyone she knew would be okay with taking in a dog, it would be Blaine Anderson.

“Cool,” Mike said, “he can explain his plan better.”

She got into the back seat of Mike’s car and Tina insisted on holding Mojo with her in the front. The drive to Blaine’s house wasn’t too long and they arrived about ten minutes later. Mike texted Blaine after parking and then they walked up to a nice white house.

Mike opened the front door which had been left unlocked and Sugar followed him and Tina up the stairs.

“His mom has him bedroom locked,” Mike explained, “she’s convinced he’s going to fall down the stairs or something. Anyway, he’s out free by Valentine’s day.”

Blaine was in bed dressed in pajamas and holding his phone in his hands.

“Hey, guys,” he said and grinned, “it’s so good to have company. Do you know there’s nothing on tv these days. Oh my god, is that a dog?”

The dog had been in Tina’s arms the entire way up, but he was ready to jump out of them. When Tina sat down, she tried to keep him on her lap, but he jumped off and began to explore the room. Smelling around at every corner until he realized there was a bed and then he took a leap onto to it and went to Blaine.

“Hello, puppy,” Blaine said.

Mojo licked at Blaine’s hands and then settled himself next to him while Blaine continued to pet him.

“He’s adorable.”

“Sugar’s,” Tina said, “Rory got him for her.”

“Is it settled then?” Blaine asked, “are you going with Rory? Kurt’s been filling me in on all the drama and he says Artie and Rory are really going at it to get your attention.

Sugar could have glared at him, instead she settled for making a face and shrugging. “It’s really hard to make a decision.”

“Artie is really nice,” Tina said, “he and I dated for a while and if it hadn’t been for Mike or his abs, I might even still be with him. But Rory’s so sweet as well.”

“Well I think you should choose the one you care about more,” Mike said, “the one you fit with more.”

“Yeah,” Blaine said, “the one you have more in common with.” He gave her a pointed look.

Sugar nodded. “I guess I’ll have to think about it.”

Mojo had nudged himself onto Blaine’s leg, and her uncle just picked up the dog, crossed his legs and set him down there and began to pet him more. The look of happiness in his eyes at something so small made Sugar grin. It would be easier than she’d thought.

“Anyway,” Mike said, “we brought Sugar so you can tell her your plan.”

“Oh, yes,” Blaine said. “It’s for Valentine’s day. For your party actually.”

Sugar nodded. “You’re coming to the Sugar Shack?”

Blaine nodded. "Kurt doesn't know my mom’s letting me out on Valentine's. He thinks I don't have anything planned because I told him I had an appointment with the doctor, which I do, but he thinks we're just going to meet up after your party here and watch a few rom coms. But really what I want to do is to surprise him there with song."

Sugar had always thought that her uncles were the kind of mushy romantics that would go all out like this without even an excuse for it. She'd been watching Kurt all week and noticing the cards he was receiving all from a secret admirer that he was just sure had to be from Blaine. Sugar was suddenly starting to doubt that they were and from the way that Blaine was behaving, not even asking about them, she knew that he probably wasn’t the one sending them. She only needed to figure out who would be sending them.

“Anyhow, I just want you to introduce me or something and maybe have someone hand Kurt a mic. I’ve been working with Mercedes and Rachel over skype for the song and he definitely knows it.”

“Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Sugar said, “just text me when to announce you and I will.”

“What song are you going to do?” Mike asked.

“I was thinking Love Shack in honor of the Sugar Shack,” he nodded at Sugar, “I even got my mom to get me a heart shaped eyepatch just for the occasion. She’s gotten better about Kurt – I think she’s realized she can’t do anything about it."

"He's going to flip when he sees you made it," Tina said, "It's such a romantic gesture," Tina sighed. She gave Mile a long look.

Sugar didn't know much about the Mike and Tina of the future. She couldn't really remember meeting them but she must have done so at some point. Looking at them, she wondered if they were still together. She should have had an answer to that question, but she didn’t.

After a bit more planning and Blaine looking over the homework and notes that Tina had brought him, Mike and Tina got up.

“We should get going,” Tina said, “I hope you get to come back to school soon.”

“After Valentine’s day for sure,” Blaine said.

Sugar refused a ride. “I live just a block away,” she told them, “I just wanted to ask Blaine a question.”

Tina and Mike nodded and then they walked out the door.

Blaine was still playing with the dog, and he had just gotten him to lay on his back to be given a belly rub.

“Rory choose a good one,” Blaine said, “Kurt didn’t think it was a very good idea, but I thought it might make you realize what a drastic thing you would be doing by agreeing to go on a date with Artie.”

Sugar shook her head. “I am being held up by my mami and Uncle Kurt to keep everything going smoothly, to watch after Rory, to make sure that we can get back to our time, to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid, but I have no one looking after me. I have no one and I’ve never had anyone that isn’t one of my moms or you and Kurt there to catch me. I have to be the responsible one. Always. Why can’t I have some fun?”

Sugar dropped to the bed. “I wasn’t really thinking,” she said, “when I decided to throw this party or sort of hint to Artie that I might go with him. It felt nice to not think so hard about something for once. But now I have to. Anyway, speaking of, I have a favor to ask.”

“Yeah?”

“I want you to take him off my hands.” Sugar motioned towards Mojo.

“This adorable fellow? But why?”

“I’m from the future, Blaine,” Sugar said, “and I’ve been living at Santana’s and sometimes go off to a hotel when I can’t handle it at her house. I can’t keep a dog. And out of everyone I could think of you were the one person that I thought might want him.”

“We definitely didn’t think the dog thing through,” Blaine said and laughed, “but, yes, I’ll take him.”

ldquo;Thank you,” Sugar said, “thank you so much.”

Blaine nodded.

“I’ll leave the things Rory gave me. There’s some food, a leash, and a cage. I could walk him for you before I leave, just in case. Your parents won’t mind the addition?”

“Are you kidding? My mom’ll love him.”


	13. Winning Sugar

Sugar had already made up her mind about who she was going to say yes to. Her talk with Blaine though not as good as ones she had had with future Blaine had helped her to the realization that she couldn't just alter things because she was mad that Rory got to be irresponsible and that he got to get away with pretty much anything. It had also reminded her of how Uncle Blaine had explained a lot of things to her back when she'd complained about Rory being treated so much like a child. 

"You're very different," Blaine had said, "Sugar, your moms raised you much more independently than we raised Rory. Your mom is a genius and an inventor and your Mami is a performer. They love you and Kurt and I love you but you had to fend for yourself and you are your mother's child. You thrive on doing things on your own. Rory is different and he's always had you to look up to. You don't have to be perfect, but I think maybe because you're older and because you can handle some things a little better that we've always just expected more from you. But whenever something is just too much, Sug, you just tell us."

But deciding that she wouldn't mess things up didn't mean that she couldn't keep Rory and even Kurt trying so hard to get her to see the logics of what they wanted her to do. 

That day she saw her moms exchanging presents, or rather her mom giving her Mami her present. Brittany had gone and made her a playlist and although Sugar didn't recognize any of the songs that were on it, she did have to stifle laughter at some of the titles. 

It made her oddly serene to witness her moms having a moment that really showed how much they loved each other. They seemed like her moms in this moment and when Sugar saw that they were about the kiss the usual instinctual reaction of any child about to see their parents kiss was wholly gone and replaced with glee. Sugar wondered if that was what Rory felt whenever he saw his dads acting lovey dovey. Rory must have been used to it, though, because they still acted that way in the future. 

Sugar saw the principal put a stop to the show of affection and she almost jumped out an started yelling at him, but she stopped herself just in time. It was enough having Rory's dads know about Rory being their son, they couldn't add her moms knowing. They wouldn't take it well at all. 

When she got to glee club later that day, Sugar was surprised when Finn and Rachel got up to the front and announced that they were getting married. That had definitely not happened. Finn and Rachel wouldn't get married for a while yet. Out of everyone in that room it was Blaine and Kurt that got married first and that wasn't for a few years yet. But she'd never even heard of there being an engagement this early on for any of them. For a split moment she almost went into a panic because maybe this had come about because they were there. Had they somehow changed the future in such a way that Rachel and Finn were pushed to get married? Rory might know more about it. Sugar had never really been around the two of them in the future. She did know them, but not enough to know if they had ever considered getting married when they were in high school.

The whole room split on the issue but Sugar decided it would probably be better if she did just keep quiet. Rory had decided on the same, but it turned out that his dad had been the one to go to his parents and to tell them about the engagement. She wondered if he had been aided by Rory and if Rory had already known that they'd made a mistake and messed something up. Could they really change the future? There had always been the possibility, but Sugar just hadn't thought that it could happen. Now she wondered if they had changed anything at all.

Sugar also desperately wanted to know if Kurt had asked Rory about the future and if Rory had given him any answers.

But no, Rory looked as shocked as she was over the entire issue, but not the way she had been. After some more talk about it they announced a day for the wedding and sat down. 

Artie rolled out to the middle of the room and Sugar suddenly had the strange feeling that she should have already let him down because when he began to sing -- and what the hell was Kurt thinking going up there as backup -- she swooned. 

When he was done and all the other boys had sat down, Sugar couldn't help but get up off her seat and just sit on his lap. No one had ever sang to her like this before and a blanket of being wanted and not just because that person was obligated to, fell around her and she laughed as Artie wheeled them out of the choir room. She didn't see Rory's face drained of color and Kurt's shocked expression. All Sugar was really thinking was that for once someone liked her for who she was, or at least knew how to show her that they wanted her.

\- - -

Rory sipped at his warm milk. He was in grandpa Burt's kitchen with the man himself. He was making dinner which was a rarity at that house with Kurt and Carole being very capable around the kitchen. But Burt liked to occasionally take over, mostly he only did it when Carole had too many shifts at work or when Kurt was out being a teenager. Both were out of the house for the moment and Rory had been glad to find his grandpa home and to be able to spend some time with him.

It had been hard getting any time alone with him lately. He was always in DC or when he was around so was Kurt and neither was aware that the other knew about Rory. Rory was just about to change that.

"I told them," he said.

"You told who what?"

Rory sighed. "My dads, I told them who I am and where I'm from."

Burt paused. "Those two kind of come as a package deal. I guess they didn't take it too badly, then?"

"I didn't tell them one of them dies. And I won't. I can't." Saying it was hard, but he had to be able to talk about it.

His grandpa continued seasoning the chicken, "you shouldn't. No one should know when they're going to die. It's the great mystery of life..."

"That doesn't mean we can't do anything to stop it from happening though, right?"

"Of course it doesn't, kiddo, but we still haven't figured out a way. And I'm not trusting that time machine to be of any help to you."

Rory drank some more of his milk. Things hadn't gone that great that day. His papa had assured him that Sugar was going to go with him but then she'd thrown herself at Artie earlier that day and Rory had not seen her since. His dad had told him they would work on something to remind her of the position she was in later that night and had invited him over for dinner but then he'd told Rory that he had to go see Blaine because somehow the dog Rory had given Sugar had ended up with Blaine and it was something that just had to be dealt with. Rory had opted to stay behind at Kurt's house so he could talk to his grandpa and Kurt hadn't put up too much of a fight. Rory didn't want to think about it but he was positive that his dads were desperate for some time alone. 

"What do you think I should do then? I have to stop it from happening. He can't just be dead. I can't have gone through this just to go back and find him dead."

Burt set his knife down and then he walked around to where Rory was seated. "I don't want to give you false hope that you'll go back and he'll be there, but we will try everything."

Rory nodded. "It just hurts even more now that they know and he acts like him but...he's just not the same. He's not my papa and there's just this crazy possibility that I'm just never going to get to see him in any other form than this one - this seventeen year old."

Burt hugged him. "We'll do everything we can."

After Rory finished his milk he set about helping his grandpa with the meal he was preparing, a very simple chicken with mashed potatoes and a tossed salad. They worked well together and when Kurt got back they were about done.

"Oh wow," Kurt said, "you guys are cooking. I didn't expect that."

He and Kurt went to the living room when Burt ushered them out of the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked when they had sat down, "you look a little upset."

Rory had never been able to figure out how his dad always seemed to know when he was down about something, but it seemed that it was something that was just instinctual because this Kurt was also just as attuned to him.

"I'm alright, really. I'm just missing home I guess."

Last time Rory had said he missed home, his dad hasn't known that home wasn't Ireland. Now he did and maybe that was what made him hug Rory.

"You'll get to go back though," Kurt said, "maybe not right now but soon."

Rory just hugged his dad tighter and Rory who couldn't imagine what he might be going through with this experience thought that his dad really had to be the most amazing person for being able to just hold him, rub his back, and wish that things were different for him. And to think that just a few days before he hadn't even wanted to believe what Rory was telling him.

"Thank you," Rory said, "thank you so much."

His dad hugged him tighter. "No need," he said and then let go a little but only to lead them to the couch.

Once there he didn't let Rory get too far from him, somehow just knowing that Rory would need the physical contact from him. That's how Rory found himself with his head on his dad's shoulder and one if Kurt's arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"I don't even know how Brittany's been doing on it," Rory said and it was true and not just because he hadn't asked her but because he was pretty sure that she hadn't been working on it and he didn't want to ask just to be told that she needed to be inspired by something. He was so tired of waiting.

"Well," Kurt said, "what about asking if we can help her?"

Rory shrugged. Santana would definitely not be happy that he had told Kurt and Blaine and she couldn't find out that he was their son and much less that Sugar was her daughter. It might work, but it would be hard to pull off. Santana wanted him and Sugar gone so this was in all their interests. Rory's problem laid in that he still hadn't figured out how he was going to save his papa. Would they be able to go to the future to before he died to save him? Or would there be another way?

"You'll get back, Rory, don't worry."

"Not too worried about that. She invented it once right, if she didn't I wouldn't be here."

"Exactly," his dad said.

Kurt stared at him. "But you're also worried about something else," he said, "whatever reason you had to come back here or to travel back in time at all, you're worried about that, aren't you?"

Rory just nodded.

"You really can't tell me?"

This time he just shook his head and then he closed his eyes and dropped his head back on Kurt's shoulder.

"You know Sugar has to be feeling the same way," His dad said after a while, "what if you sang something about home. You have to remind her I guess and if not that then just make her feel something."

His dad had that look in his eyes that he often got in the future, the look that said he had just gotten a good idea and that he was going to lock himself in his work room for days and come out a disheveled mess with a new wonderful creation.

It was a look that Rory had always wanted to have on his face and he didn't think that it had been one that was actually present when he decided to get on the time machine and travel back in time. aybe had he checked he wouldn't be in this situation right now.

His grandpa called them over to eat when Finn arrived looking so sweaty that he was dripping. Kurt stared at him for a long time and then pointed him up the stairs, "no shower, no food."

Finn groaned and muttered as he climbed up the stairs. In the meanwhile Kurt set the table and Rory helped Burt take everything into the dinning room. It was such a familiar feeling from the future that Rory couldn't help but smile except that then it was Rory being told to shower first when he got home from doing anything sporty with his uncle or papa. By the time Finn came back down, Carole had gotten home looking very very worn.

"Oh good, you have dinner ready," she said and kissed Burt on the cheek before taking her seat. "Oh, hello, Rory."

"Hi, Mrs. Hummel," Rory said and felt weird saying it because he had always called her grandma.

Finn greeted him mom with a kiss and despite being the last at the table he was the first to dig in, piling his plate high. Again it was a familiar sight and it made him miss home more than ever.

"How was school, boys?"

"Good," Kurt said, "but I'm still missing Blaine like crazy."

"He'll be back in no time kid," his dad said.

Kurt nodded.

"Well, I've asked the godsquad to sing to Rachel tomorrow. They're doing these singing Valentines thing."

Rory noticed that the looks shared between his grandparents were not happy ones. He had almost forgotten about the whole situation with Finn and Rachel and how they thought they were getting married in a few weeks time. Rory knew that it wasn't going to happen. His dads had never told him what stopped the wedding but something did and after it was stopped it just never happened until years later. Talk about a postponement.

"Well, Rory and I have to find a song for him to sing to Sugar tomorrow," Kurt said, changing the subject, "he's been trying to get her to go with him to her party at Breadstix."

Finn frowned at them, "I thought Artie was taking Sugar."

"Not officially," Rory said and tried his hardest not to look worried. Had Sugar already said yes to Artie?

After dinner Rory followed his dad up to his room. When Rory had first set foot into this room he'd been really surprised at how proficient in decor his dad had already been at this time. Now he just walked to the bed and sat down while his dad brought out his laptop and they began a search for what he might want to sing to Sugar. It reminded Rory of the days when he needed help with projects and he and his dad would spend hours to make absolutely everything perfect. But thinking about school and projects just reminded him how his papa had gone out to get him supplies when the accident happened.

"Home," his dad said, "it's perfect."

Rory scanned the lyrics. He'd never heard the song before, but he knew he could pull it off with practice. He gave a nod.

"You'll go back, Rory, you have to. I know the me in the future will do everything to get you back to him. Okay?"

"Yeah."

And then Rory thought of something that should have been important enough to have thought of before, if his dad knew now in this time that Rory was his son and in the past then wouldn't he remember all of this in the future?

\- - -

The emotion in Rory's voice was unexpected and it hit him like a bunch of bricks. He was seated in the back row of the choir room and his son was in the front of the room singing about how much he wanted to go home even though the words didn't quite reflect that sentiment. Kurt had heard him sing the song so many times the night before that even he knew all the words, but maybe he hadn't been listening because hearing it now brought tears to his eyes as well a deep need to get up, rush forward, and wrap his arms tightly around the boy at the front who was pouring his entire heart into this song.

When he was finally able to tear his eyes away, he scanned the room until he found Sugar. She was almost as misty eyed as Kurt and had Kurt not been feeling like he could break into tears at any moment, he would have been grinning madly because it was working.

Artie sitting close to her on the other hand wasn't feeling the emotion in the room. He was frowning and it seemed like he too knew that he was losing. Rory finished his song and Sugar stood up. She said something about feeling bad for him and then they were hugging and Kurt couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't anything else there. But he shook the thought.

He wiped at his eyes and pulled out his phone, calling Blaine as he stepped out of the choir room. Blaine answered after two rings.

"Hey," he said, "how'd it go?"

"We picked a song about not wanting to go home, but it worked, He sang it so emotionally. Blaine, is it bad that I'm getting so attached to him. I don't know if it's that I know he's our son now or something, but I just care about him so much."

Blaine laughed, "you've always been closer to him than me, and he really is amazing. I almost can't believe we raised him."

"I can," Kurt said.

There was a bark and Kurt rolled his eyes. He really should not have let them talk him into getting a dog for Sugar. It hadn't made her make up her mind and now he was going to have to deal with it on a daily basis seeing as Blaine had become so enamored of the furry thing that there was no way that Kurt would get him to give the dog up.

"I think he knows you're on the phone," Blaine said, "he just wants to say hi."

Kurt laughed. "You're going to become one of those people who dress their dogs and buy them Christmas presents."

"As if you wouldn't be the one making him clothes."

Kurt hadn't thought about it until then, but now he was considering it. Maybe if he had nothing better to do one of these weekends. He could admit that the dog was cute even if he couldn't handle the shedding or the licking he'd tried to inflict on him when he'd gone to see Blaine the night before.

"Anyway," Kurt said, "Sugar has chosen him and they're going together so everything will work out wonderfully."

"That's great. Am I going to see you later?"

"Probably."

Kurt got to his locker and opened it one handed. Yet another card fell out. He couldn't help but grin.

"Thanks," he said into the phone.

"What? What for?"

Kurt sighed. "You know."

"Do I?"

Kurt just laughed. "I'll see you later, Blaine."

"I'm still confused," Blaine said, "but alright."

Kurt slipped his phone into a pocket and then opened the card. It was just as sweet as the others and still signed by a secret admirer. The card asked him to meet up at Breadstix before Sugar's party. Would Blaine be allowed out by then? He smiled wide, maybe Valentine's day would turn out better than he'd expected. He and Blaine had sort of planned to watch a bunch of movies at Blaine's house, but that was something they did on a regular day so Kurt hadn't been particularly excited about it. But now, he could be excited because they would be going to Sugar's party together. He put the card back into the envelope and then grabbed everything he needed from his locker and headed to his next class.

Now that it was a few days until Valentine's Day, more and more pink had been cropping up. There were more cards being exchanged and more people getting together and some breaking up. Had it not been for the secret admirer cards from Blaine, Kurt would have probably hated the whole ritual as he had in years previous. He remembered the last year, when he'd had to do backup for Blaine serenading another boy. He'd actually told Blaine he liked him, then, even if it didn't lead anywhere until a while later.

He met up with Rory later and the younger boy looked ecstatic. "She's going with me," he told Kurt, "and she wants to help Brittany with the machine. We have to go home. You were right about her feeling the same way I did. I think she has it worse than me."

Kurt decided he would approach Brittany and in turn Santana at the party or after and they could figure out a way to really work on it. Rory had to go home and his future self needed to have his son back, Kurt couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of heartbreak that the Kurt and Blaine of the future had to be suffering with Rory gone just like that. And how did time travel work, even? Could Rory just show up hours after he'd disappeared or would it be days? Weeks? Months?

When he looked at Rory he saw his future and he would do absolutely anything in his power to make sure that it happened and that it was protected even if he had to lie to Santana and Brittany to make it happen


	14. The Sugar Shack

The day of the party was as normal as any other for Blaine. He woke up around 9, went to the bathroom and took a shower and then headed downstairs for breakfast. His mom gave him a disapproving stare when he arrived -- he'd been primarily taking any meal in his room -- but she didn't say anything except to pointedly look at a chair which meant that he'd have to sit down and not get back up until he was done.

He sat down because he didn't want to fight with her and let her serve him his breakfast with a glass of orange juice. Again he didn't protest even though his drink of choice was usually coffee. His mom didn't approve of coffee - or at least of his intake of it - even though she drank at least three cups of it herself to get through her work day. Blaine was hoping that she might have to go back to work after his appointment, he was already so tired of being around her. 

"Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" She asked when she finally say down with her own breakfast. 

Blaine tried hard not to stare at her steaming cup of coffee with too much want.

"Yes. It's Valentine's day and I'd like to spend it with the person I love, mom. The doctor said I was allowed to go back to school days ago but I stayed because you didn't think I was ready but you won't stop me from going tonight."

She nodded. 

Blaine would never say anything badly about his parents. He knew they cared in their way, it was just that they had never quite showed it like Blaine had needed them to and it wasn't just related to the gay thing though that had definitely contributed to a lot of it later on. It was events like the slushy and years before what happened after the Sadie Hawkins dance that really brought his mom's more caring side out.

It was such a big difference to have her nag and question his every move after having a lot of freedom that Blaine kept wishing for things to go back to normal.

"If you're really sure. But you'll come straight home and you won't be staying out late."

"Sure, mom."

Unlike his mom, his dad had had a completely different reaction to the slushy incident and more importantly the operation on his eye. He had made sure the doctor working on his eye was the very best they could find in Ohio and he'd paid for any and very test, but not once had he visited at the hospital. Blaine had seen him a total of one time since he'd come home and it had only been because he needed something from the home office. 

The doctor's appointment wasn't for a few more hours, so after breakfast Blaine relocated to the living room and turned on the tv. There was practically nothing on so he wound up putting in a movie that he half payed attention to. 

He was more than a little excited to be leaving the house and even more so to surprise Kurt though he was starting to think that Kurt was onto him. He'd smiled a little too much the night before when he was leaving and he mentioned that he was looking forward to spending time with him the next night even though they were going to be doing what they'd been doing all week long. Luckily Kurt had definitely mentioned that he was going to stop by at the party for Sugar who was insisting. 

"Plus," Kurt had added, "I want to see Rory and Sugar acting like a couple."

Blaine had been vey glad for all the drama between Sugar and Rory that week but mostly because it had kept his boyfriend busy and not worrying about him. 

Mojo came running into the room then and Blaine thought that he looked a little too happy with himself. It'd been a couple of days since acquiring the adorable creature, Blaine had discovered that he was a harder responsibility than he'd signed up for. Kurt had warned him, but Blaine just hadn't paid him enough attention in light if the cold nose, big eyes, and wagging tail.

"What did you do now?"

The dog just wagged his tail. Blaine eyed him, but when he jumped up on the couch and rested his head on Blaine's knee, the picture of innocence. A dog was a big responsibility, Blaine knew, and he was more than willing to have it. Thinking about the fact that he would be a father someday -- and he definitely hoped he wouldn't be at all like his father -- had made him think of it more seriously.

He and his mom headed to the appointment an hour or so later and the drive over was the longest in Blaine's life. His mom kept trying to hint that staying home would be best and Blaine was starting to think that it was more than just her wanting him to stay for his well being, but his moms problem with Kurt. 

Blaine had thought that when he finally got a boyfriend that both his parents would be upset about it. They had barely reacted. His dad had been a little blasé about it, and his mom had reacted only long enough to say a quick congratulations. Everything had changed when they met Kurt. 

His dad had met him twice and both times been civil enough if distracted. But he was always distracted so that was nothing to do with Kurt. His mom on the other hand had been downright rude and later she'd told Blaine that she thought he could do much better and proceeded to call his voice too girly and his fashion style atrocious.

Blaine hadn't taken it all to heart but now that he knew that he and Kurt would end up getting married he couldn't help but wonder about the role that his parents played in their life. He didn't want to ask Rory, but a part of him hoped that they would come around and accept Kurt and later Rory and that they might actually be grandparents to Rory. 

The doctor's visit itself went fine and he was finally allowed to take off the eyepatch and the last of the bandages. 

"You'll be a little sensitive to light for a few days still, but you're fine to go back to school and to reading."

His mom did go back to work after she dropped him off and Blaine almost broke out into a happy dance because of it. So he waved at her as she pulled back out of the driveway and let himself into the house.

The day went off quickly enough and he discovered that what Mojo had done that morning just consisted of dragging one of his sweaters out of his closet. Luckily enough it was an older one that he hadn't worn in a while and that he wasn't intending on wearing again. One of the sleeves was a little chewed on and part of the collar was a little ripped, strings of yarn coming apart from the knitted design. He made a note to keep his clothes off the floor if he didn't want Mojo to think of them as his toys and to also stop at a petco or petsmart and buy the dog some toys. His mom had only made a trip to buy food when the dog surprised her when she got home, but she'd been more than okay with the dog becoming a part of their lives. 

His mom still wasn't home when he set out and Blaine was more than happy to be behind the wheel of his car again. He had a few things to pick up but afterwards he was going to surprise Kurt at Sugar's party.

\- - -

Kurt arrived much earlier than anyone else had. He was more than ready to meet up with Blaine, so ready that he hadn't even bothered calling or texting Blaine to see how his doctor's appointment that morning had gone. Instead he was looking forward to hearing about it now in the hour or so that they'd have before the restaurant closed up so the party could be held. One of the waitresses warned him about the party but he waved her off and then a man in a gorilla suit was standing behind him, someone that was taller than him and definitely taller than Blaine. What was going on? Was Blaine not going to make it?

When his admirer was unmasked Kurt just about had a heart attack. It was Dave Karofsky. Never once had Kurt consisted that it might not be Blaine that was his secret admirer. Everything was different, suddenly, and Kurt just couldn't wrap his mind around it. He let Dave lead him to a table and then he listened to the other boy

Kurt hadn't seen him since the night at Scandals and frankly he's been glad. He and Dave may have been in better terms but Kurt didn't really consider him a friend or anything. He had just decided to put the bullying behind him. Maybe it was that Dave had been so horrible to him that had made Kurt not even once consider that Dave might be interested in him

After they talked it all out, Kurt just got up from the booth. He felt kind of horrible and a little bit stupid. There was also the undying disappointment that Blaine had done nothing to compare to the way he'd put himself out there for a crush just the year before. Mostly though he felt sad and all he wanted to do was leave the restaurant, head over to Blaine's and watch the movies he'd been promised earlier in the week. He wasn't really mad that Blaine hadn't gone out of his way for the silly holiday, but he was a little disappointed and mostly confused because Blaine had always claimed it was his favorite holiday.

But as he and Dave parted ways, Mercedes followed by Quinn, Sam, and Sugar walked in and from one look from them he knew he wasn't going to be stepping out the door for any reason. He let them cajole him into helping with the last of the decorations - he glared at every pink heart near his vicinity an ignored the looks that Sugar kept giving him - and then sat down in a booth and considered calling Blaine even though he would be seeing his boyfriend later when he managed to sneak out of the party

The godsquad and some of the glee kids – although there was serious overlap – seemed to be the entertainment and Kurt smiled when they actually sang to Brittany despite their religious connotations. Kurt was never going to be religious and was very glad that Blaine had expressed his exact same sentiment on the subject, but he could appreciate that there could be open mindedness.

He kept his eye on Sugar and Rory throughout the beginning of the party but lost track of them eventually. They were sure acting like a couple and Kurt even saw them dancing and laughing together. He was glad they were having a good time

Finn and Rachel got there a little late, and Kurt wasn't very happy to see how happy they were. His dad had filled him on the plan that the Berrys had cooked up to stop the wedding and he knew a big part of it had to so with the dinner they were having that night. It had clearly backfired

Rachel got up to sing at some point, but he should have expected that. He watched and tried to pretend that he was having fun. He had tried calling Blaine but gotten his voicemail and now that he glanced at his phone there had been no return call and not a lot of time had passed since he last looked

He turned to look at the stage when Sugar got up there and was only half listening until Blaine's voice fell over him from the sound system. He gasped and had to be gaping. Blaine winked at him, both eyes in display, and then began to sing and Kurt could only just stare because there he was and he was singing and surprising Kurt and it was the best thing to happen to him all day

He found a microphone in the seat next to him and when Blaine came to try and offer his, he just pulled out the other and just in time for his boyfriend to pull him up out of the booth by his tie. They were suddenly on stage and Kurt was having more fun than he had all day and he wanted to be as close to Blaine as humanly possible. They leaned into each other and sang. Every few minutes Kurt looked at Blaine because he couldn't quite believe that he was really there

When the balloons fell around them at the end of the song he grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him in

"I love you," he said, "and I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," Blaine muttered

In the midst of all the insanity around them they leaned into each other and shared a kiss. They didn't pull too far apart when it was over. Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder and wished he could just stay there forever

Eventually they moved and the party continued. Blaine lead him back to the booth and Kurt stayed as close to him as possible. They usually tried not to be too touchy in public, but the people at this party were all friends and he and Blaine had come into Breadstix so often on dates that the staff already had to know they were more than friends. It also had a lot to do with Kurt wanting to stay as close to Blaine as possible after the last few things he'd gone through

\- -

Rory had danced with Sugar before at parties, but it was a bit unusual to dance with her now, when they had to pretend that they were on a date and it felt like a lot of the people there were watching them. His dad certainly was and so was Artie. The wheelchair bound boy hadn't brought a date and Sugar had most likely felt so bad for him that she told him to just come stag. He looked miserable, not even Puck's sorority girls could make him smile. Rory thought that if it had been him, he wouldn't have shown up at all

"I'm going to be so sad when you have to go," Sugar said

He was brought back from his thoughts. He stared at her for a moment. "What?"

Sugar was smirking a little. "When you have to go back to Ireland."

She was making fun of him, he realized. He smiled a little

"Maybe," and this she said a little louder, "my dad could buy Ireland."

He smiled a little and tried not to associate everything she was saying with the fact that it had always bothered Sugar that she didn't know who her father was. When they were much younger it had been a game between them to list attributes to the biological parents that they didn't know. He remembered how she'd mentioned once that she wished he would be rich

"I thought of something," Rory said when they had sat down again

"Yeah?"

Rory had hesitated on whether he should tell Sugar what he'd been considering since the day before

"I was just wondering if they'd remember us in the future. My dads know who I am and where I come from, this isn't just a tiny little detail to forget. I was just thinking that maybe they remember all of this."

Sugar but down on her bottom lip. "I never thought of that," she said, "and maybe they do remember. They sent me so specifically, Rory, and I never thought to wonder why."

She had to get up to the stage, so she left him behind. He didn't expect that she would be announcing his papa. But there he was at the door in a getup that was only befitting of him and he had a microphone in his hand. He couldn't help but grin.

Rory had seen his dad's face earlier and there had been a look of devastation and tiredness on it, Rory had almost gone over there and insisted that he go home, but he was glad now that Sugar had distracted him. He now knew why

Any other kid would have probably been embarrassed to have his parents up on a stage looking so besotted on each other that it was sickening, but not Rory. Maybe it was that he was so used to them acting this way, or that they were his age and so didn't really appear to him like his dads would. At any rate, Rory didn’t mind in the least that they sang leaning against each other and that later on the dance floor they were kissing.

"If they remember, then, we'll find out when we get home, won't we?"

Rory nodded, but really what he was thinking was that his papa wouldn't be there to laugh and joke about everything. He had never once considered telling them why he'd used the time machine but now that it might be possible to leave a warning he was definitely tempted. Could it achieve anything really? Or would it change everything? He couldn't figure out what he had to do on his own. What he needed was to go see his grandfather. He already knew and this could be the perfect way to resolve this but so much might also go wrong because of it

He decided to stop thinking about it and instead he focused on watching Sugar who looked happier than she had in a while. She really did like throwing parties and he knew she'd been very happy earlier when her moms were making out after the godsquad dedicated a song from Santana to Brittany. The two of them had been very close all night and Rory could see them sitting aside from everyone else, their heads very close together. He and Sugar in the meanwhile danced some more and Rory tried not to watch his parents too much.

"Hey," his dad said and Rory jumped, almost spilling his drink.

"So tonight went well then," his dad said and looked back at where Blaine was talking to Finn, Rachel, and Mike, "did you know about all of that?"

Rory shook his head. "He never mentioned it."

"I did," Sugar said and rushed past them after Mercedes and Tina

His dad lifted his eyebrow and Rory shrugged. "She's in her element, I think."

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked

"I think so. This wasn't that bad."

"What wasn't bad?"

Kurt turned and took Blaine's hand. "The party," he said, "Rory has a good point. I didn't think I was going to have any fun after..."

Rory watched them. His dad looked preoccupied about something, burdened. Yet he didn't seem to want to share what his problem might be. His papa on the other hand was smiling and looking so carefree that it was strange to see his expression change to worried

"After what?"

"I, um, thought that you were sending me valentine cards all week," he said.

Rory had forgotten about them despite how often his dad mentioned them

"I didn't," Blaine said 

"I know that now," Kurt said, "can we talk about this later?"

Blaine nodded

Artie wheeled himself over them 

"I'm heading home," he said, "my dad will be here soon. I am going to be the bigger man and apologize for everything I did this past week and also offer congratulations."

 

Rory was surprised and mostly flattered. He never could have expected that he would get a congratulations from Artie of all people

 

"Thanks," he said, "I should apologize as well."

 

They nodded at each other and then Artie rolled away again. When Rory turned back around his dads were smiling at him

 

"We're going to raise someone so amazing," Kurt said

 

"Was there any doubt we would?"

 

Rory loved how much his dads in this time had become in awe of him. He was a representation of the wonderful future they were going to have. They didn't know that he was back here giving them that hope because of the one horrible aspect of their future. Could he actually tell them so far in advance, watch that hope and interest for the future just fall apart

"Anyway," Blaine said, "I promised I wouldn't be out very late. We should get going, Kurt."

They each hugged him, and then Rory saw them gathering their few belongings and saying goodbye to the rest of their friends. Rory couldn't be the reason that their easy going attitude disappeared, he couldn't burden then with this. But there had to be another way


	15. Bad News

Despite everything that Blaine had gone through in his short life, he had never once hated someone, or disliked someone as much as he disliked Sebastian Smythe.

He had just gotten home from driving Rory to Brittany’s after school when he got the call from Kurt. At first he frowned because he remembered that Kurt was supposed to be spending the day with Rachel looking at dresses and other things for the wedding – not that Kurt approved – he was just in it for the shopping and because he’d resolved to just go along with the insanity.

“You’ll never guess what just happened,” his boyfriend said.

Blaine had faintly thought back to Valentine’s Day when Kurt had eventually told him that David Karofsky had professed his love for Kurt. So, the first thing that his mind had imagined was a run in with the former bully. Blaine didn’t know how to feel about Karofsky, exactly, but mostly because he understood the feeling of liking someone and wanting to get those feelings out there. Then again, Blaine had also been the person that picked Kurt back up after all the hurt and pain that Karofsky had caused and for that Blaine couldn’t easily forgive him. Now, he turned around claiming to love Kurt and Blaine just didn’t like it and it didn’t stem from any jealousy because he knew as sure as anything that he and Kurt were soulmates.

“What?” he asked.

“Sebastian showed up,” Kurt said, “we seriously need to find a different coffee shop to hang out at, or buy to go and hope there’s not a run in.”

Blaine laughed. Sebastian was a whole other issue that Blaine hadn’t really got the chance to deal with. Nothing had come from informing the headmaster at Dalton that Sebastian had thrown that slushy at Blaine and almost left permanent damage. And as much as Blaine understood why Kurt hadn’t used the proof Santana had gathered to really get Sebastian in trouble, he wished he’d played a bigger role in dealing with it, or that the glee club had bothered to ask him what they should do. He could admit to himself that he probably would have done what he did. Blaine was more angry at the warblers as a whole, though, because they had no excuse for what they did. A few of them had called Blaine to tell him how sorry they were. Blaine wasn’t quite ready to forgive any of them.

“What did he do, now?” He asked cautiously.

“Well,” Kurt said, “let me just say that I’ve seen some horrible things before, but none as bad as what I had to see today. He, um, photoshopped a picture of Finn. Rachel took the copy he gave us. He wants Rachel to not sing at regionals so that the Warblers win.”

Blaine could have laughed at the absurdity of it all, if it hadn’t been for how serious it all really was and not just because he wanted to win, but because Kurt needed to have this win to get into NYADA, and because Sebastian was really starting to cross too many lines.

“Rachel’s talking to Finn about it. They’re going to go to Mr. Shuester about it. I just can’t believe he can get away from this stuff.”

Kurt talked to him for a while longer, but then had to hang up because Rachel was calling him. Blaine could hear her in the background.

Mojo trailed him into his room and Blaine dropped his phone on the bed before moving to his armchair and depositing his bag there. He took off his shoes and undid the bowtie around his neck. Blaine had been hoping to put Sebastian and everything to do with the slushy incident behind him once he was told his eye would be just fine and that he wouldn’t even need glasses.

Still though he couldn’t believe Sebastian would resort to blackmail right after the whole thing with the slushy. Did he really believe that he could just get away with this stuff? This time they would do something about it. This time he couldn’t just get his way.

Blaine was so adamant that Sebastian not be allowed to just do as he liked, that he was one of the first to want to do something the next day when it was brought up during glee club the next day. Mostly everyone else seemed to be on his side, but Mr. Shuester put a stop to it and said that he’d contacted Dalton about it already. That wasn’t enough. Blaine knew nothing would come of it. Sebastian might be told he needed to do some community service, or he might be told to see the school psychologist but it wouldn’t change anything.

Maybe it was time that they did stop trying to fight them. He felt bad that Finn might have to face that picture going up on the internet, and he didn’t wholly agree with Rachel and how she wanted to sing regardless of her fiancé’s embarrassment, but maybe they should just focus on beating them, on showing Sebastian that he could cheat and find loopholes and do a number of other things to try and stop them from doing well, but that they would win anyway through hard work. It didn’t mean that he still wasn’t upset.

He got through the rest of his classes with just a little bit of annoyance about the whole thing, so much so that about halfway through the day he texted Kurt to meet him in the auditorium.

\- - -

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and Blaine just dropped his head onto his shoulder. He didn’t have to say anything and Kurt didn’t really think that Blaine needed him to say anything for the moment. So, they stood on the stage and just held each other. Eventually, Kurt pulled him towards the steps that would take them off stage. Kurt lead him to the closest seats in the auditorium.

For a long time they just held hands, but their moment was broken when Kurt’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

“Sorry,” Kurt said.

Blaine didn’t say anything

Kurt frowned at the name that flashed on the screen and without another second of thought pressed ‘ignore’. As if it hadn’t been enough that Dave confessed he was in love with him just a few days before, he had also started to call him constantly. Kurt had said they could be friends, but he felt uncomfortable answering and it was just much easier to ignore him for the time being. He would pick up eventually and maybe ask Dave to go out with him and Blaine or something.

“Who was that?” Blaine asked.

“Karofsky,” Kurt said, “he’s been calling me today, practically all day.”

“Oh,” Blaine said.

On Valentine’s day, Kurt had told Blaine all about the cards he’d been receiving and then what happened at Breadstix before Sugar’s party. Blaine hadn’t reacted badly, he’d just been a bit surprised which was just what Kurt was, but now he seemed a little weird at hearing that Dave was calling him.

“I have no idea what he wants, but I just can’t talk to him now,” Kurt said, “not so soon after all that. Maybe another time.”

Blaine nodded slowly.

Kurt stared at him. “You’re not jealous are you?”

Blaine shook his head. “Are you kidding? I know you would never be with him – not after everything he put you through.”

They sat in comfortable silence after that, until Blaine finally spoke again: “When I was at home healing up and resting I didn’t really have to think about The Warblers or Sebastian. I could cuddle with you when you were out of school, my mom was pretty much making me anything I wanted to eat, I had all of the New Directions visiting me, I had a new dog to take care of, and I just didn’t have the time to really think about what they did, not really, and now they’re blackmailing Rachel and – and they’re not the boys I knew and sung with.”

“Oh, honey,” Kurt said, “I really do think it’s all been Sebastian. They’re under his influence and they were my friends too, and you weren’t here when we told them about what Sebastian did – they were worried about you.”

Blaine shook his head.

“Yes, they were, and I would bet a lot of money that they don’t even know about the picture Sebastian altered.”

Kurt hadn’t realized how much it had all affected Blaine, though he didn’t know why he didn’t notice. Blaine had probably been trying to hide it from him though. He gripped Blaine’s hand tightly.

His phone chose to ring again.

It was Karofsky. Kurt hit ignore even though he was starting to get curious. How many times would Kurt have to ignore him before he got that Kurt didn’t want anything to do with him for the moment.

“You might have to answer one of these times,” Blaine pointed out.

“Yeah, maybe. But, listen, I want you to stop worrying about The Warblers and Sebastian. Rachel will do the right thing and that might just mean giving me her solo, and then we’ll beat them and it’ll be the end of it.”

Blaine laughed and then stood up. “Come on,” he said and offered his hand to Kurt.

It wouldn’t be until much later in the day that Kurt would wish that he had answered his ringing phone. Instead, he and Blaine went back to Kurt’s house and they cuddled and watched T.V. in the living room. They helped Carole cook dinner and ate it with Finn. Burt was in Washington D.C. it being early in the week, but it was still a pleasant dinner.

After dinner, he and Blaine joined Finn watching some sport on the T.V. that Kurt didn’t care for. He was flipping through the latest copy of Vogue and showing Blaine the things that caught his eye.

It was Finn that found out first. He was checking facebook on his phone during a break in the game and then he gasped.

“Finn?” Kurt asked.

“Are you okay?”

“I – wow, this is…I think Karofsky tried to kill himself.”

How Finn could have known that did not even enter Kurt’s mind. Instead all he could remember was the constant buzzing of his phone all day and Dave’s name flashing at him.

“How do you know?” Blaine asked.

“It’s all over facebook, I’m friends with a few of the kids from his school and someone posted about it – his neighbor, I think. There’s also…um, there’s a bunch of things on his wall, they’re not very nice.”

Kurt went cold. He couldn’t believe it. It was almost sort of ironic to think that his bully had gone on to be bullied for the exact same thing and that it had gotten so bad that it had pushed him right to the edge that Kurt had never really reached. But he could have if it had gone on for much longer and if he never met Blaine, he could have gotten there.

A hand wrapped around his and he was pulled closer. Blaine wrapped an arm around his shoulders and Kurt could only manage to press himself into his boyfriend.

“It’s not your fault,” Blaine said, “you didn’t know.”

 

But he had. He had seen Dave’s expression when that other boy saw them at Breadstix that night. Of course he should have seen this coming. That other boy must have gone and told everyone and it was still Ohio and everyone was still closed minded. Kurt felt like he might throw up.

\- - -

All Rory could think about when he heard about the almost suicide was what he had said just the day before – what he had added to Sugar’s thoughts on Finn’s picture. He felt ashamed.

"Twice to make sure I was dead."

It had been such a callous thing to think, and even worse to say. But he'd said it as a joke, speaking without thinking that someone out there in the world might take such action when confronted with strife. Perhaps it was that he'd been so surrounded by people that had overcome the worst of struggles, or that he'd never had a reason to feel so alone or so desperate for it all to end. 

He'd never met David, not now and not in the future, but everyone else in glee except for Sugar had and they were all affected by it, most of all his parents. It wasn't from them that he heard about what had happened before Sugar's party and how David had been calling his dad all day the day he tried to hang himself. Instead, it was Rachel who mentioned it and she hadn’t been talking to Rory, but to Finn.

 

It seemed that the two of them had dropped their argument now that there were more serious things going on.

“Kurt just didn’t think he was ready to talk to him yet, we never thought it’d be something like this. He feels horrible,” Rachel had said to Finn.

Rory had paused to listen in.

“Wait, why was Karofsky calling Kurt again?”

“I thought you knew. Karofsky was Kurt’s secret admirer. He and Kurt met up on Valentine’s day and Karofsky pretty much asked him to leave Blaine or something…well, professed his undying love for him anyway. And Kurt let him down and then yesterday Karofsky was calling Kurt nonstop I guess because he needed someone that knew about his sexuality and Kurt ignored him…”

Rory had had to hold onto the wall. He leaned against it and tried to get his breathing under control. How had he not noticed that all of this was going on?

He felt strange about David Karofsky after hearing all about that. Over the course of the day, he’d been hearing a lot about the boy and he now knew that just the year before he’d been tormenting his dad, being the main cause of his bullying and also the reason that his dad transferred to Dalton. In a way he’d paved the way for his dads to meet, but nevertheless he’d been horrible to his dad. A part of him wanted to be childish and say that he was getting his comeuppance, but the bigger part reminded him that if even his dad could forgive him, so should he.

Most of the teachers were acting strange the entire day as well. Everyone was quieter, and there was not one person that was talking about it. Rory strayed clear of most of it and mostly stuck to Sugar.

“My mami went with him to junior prom,” Sugar told him while they were standing by her locker, “she still had pictures from the night back home. They were running for Prom Queen and King, but only he won. I don’t think they talk or anything, but I asked about him. She said she ran into him once and that he seemed happy.”

It was odd to think about his Aunt Santana of all people going to prom with someone like Dave, but now that he was thinking about it he remembered the pictures of his dad’s junior Prom, his dad with a crown atop his head dancing with his papa. That was the one where he’d been crowned Prom Queen, and apparently it was David Karofsky who had been King.

That day Finn and Rachel announced their plans to move their wedding up. Rory thought their reasoning just wasn’t sound, but he was starting to worry that he had done something that had pushed them into this whole early marriage thing, because it didn’t look like anything was going to stop them from going through with it. They would get married after their glee competition. Rory was suddenly hoping that they lost, but he knew better. This was the year they got Nationals.

“I can’t believe that’s what they got out of all of this,” Kurt said when they were leaving Glee later, “Rory, please tell me they don’t go through with it?”

Rory could just shrug. “At this point, I have no idea.”

Kurt just sighed and then after squeezing his shoulder he just walked away.

“He’s having a hard time with all the Karofsky stuff,” his papa said, coming up behind him.

“I can tell,” Rory said, “can’t we do anything?”

Blaine just shook his head. “We’ve talked about it and he still sort of feels guilty about it, but I think he just needs time. Finn and Rachel are just stressing everyone out and I promised to go tell his dad all about the big change. Wanna come with?”

“See Grandpa Burt, totally.”

Blaine laughed. “I forget sometimes who you are to me, and then you say things like that and I remember.”

He didn’t spend a lot of time one-on-one with Blaine, not like he did with Kurt, but he enjoyed walking to his papa’s car. Blaine put his things in the backseat and Rory followed suit, and then when they were seated in the front, Blaine handed Rory his phone.

“You are in charge of keeping the temptation of texting and driving away from me,” Blaine explained.

They were just about halway to Kurt’s house when the phone in his hand indicated a new text.

“Read it to me,” Blaine said, “0315.”

Rory wasn’t surprised at the picture on Blaine’s phone, one that featured both his dads, faces pressed together and smiling. He unlocked it and opened the messages.

“It’s from Sebastian,” Rory said.

It took a moment for his papa to react, “what does it say?” His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“Can we meet at The Lima Bean in an hour? No funny business.”

Blaine scoffed. “Don’t text him back anything. I’m not meeting him. I can’t believe he’s even asking.”

A text from Santana came in next.

“From Santana,” Rory said.

“What does she want? She never texts me.”

Rory was confused too.

“Oh. She got a text from Sebastian too,” Rory said because he refused to read the profanity with which Santana texted to his papa. It just felt weird to say anything like that even though he wouldn’t get into trouble for doing so.

Before Blaine could say anything the phone began to ring. It was his dad. Somehow, Rory already knew what it was about. Sebastian. He answered.

“Hello,” Rory said, “Blaine’s driving, but I’ll put you on speaker.”

“Oh, hey, Rory. That’s fine.”

His dad still sounded a bit odd. Rory put him on speaker.

“Hey, Kurt!”

“Blaine, why does Sebastian want to see me at The Lima Bean? What the hell does he have on us now? This is not the time for more blackmail.”

They pulled over in front of Kurt’s house.

“No idea. He texted me and Santana too. Maybe we should go see what he wants, or, I don’t know, try and put a stop to everything before the competition Saturday? Gosh is there just so much to worry about this week. I was going to try and visit Dave but I guess I can do it another time.”

Blaine grabbed his phone and took it off speaker. There was a look that his papa got when he was talking to his dad. Rory was enjoying himself just watching him. He could still sort of hear his dad on the other line and all it brought back were memories of the numerous times when he’d found himself with one while a phone was pressed to an ear. It was almost comforting. What wasn’t comforting was having Blaine at the wheel of a car, but he’d managed to not think about that too much. It hadn’t been his papa’s fault. It was the other driver. Still.

“If you have to go meet up with Sebastian, I can go deal with telling Grandpa Burt,” Rory found himself offering when Blaine got off the phone.

Blaine seemed unsure.

“I like spending time with him,” Rory said, “and I know he’ll insist you stay if you come in.”

Rory didn’t add that he really wanted to talk to Grandpa Burt on his own because it was about time that Rory share everything he’d been considering lately.

Eventually his papa agreed. That was how Rory found himself knocking on the door and then being let in by Grandma Carole.

“Oh, hello, Rory,” she said, “all the boys are out. Were you looking for one of them?”

Rory shook his head. “I was looking for you and Mr. Hummel actually,” he said, “is he here?”

“Yes,” Carole nodded. She had led Rory into the living room, she moved towards the door, “can I get you anything to drink? Or eat?”

“No thanks,” Rory said.

She left to come back with Burt a moment later. “Hey, kiddo,” Grandpa Burt said.

“I’ve been instructed to tell you that Finn and Rachel moved up their wedding to Saturday after Regionals.”

They talked about it for a while about what to do about the whole wedding situation, and then Carole went to get on the phone with Rachel’s dads. After she’d gone upstairs, his grandpa put his hands together and leaned forward in his chair.

“And what’s going on with you, kiddo?"


	16. Even Worse News

“That was unexpected,” Kurt said when they were back in Blaine’s car.

Blaine nodded. He still wasn’t anywhere ready to forgive Sebastian, but he could accept that the other boy had realized just how wrong he was about his attitude. But it all stemmed out of guilt about Dave’s attempt rather than real remorse. At least Rachel would be able to compete without fear of Finn being embarrassed so something had come from it.

“Yeah,” Blaine said and clicked his seatbelt on.

“Now that that’s over, what are we doing about this whole wedding thing?”

“I left Rory to tell your dad,” Blaine admitted, “he said he’d be fine. He’s probably still there.”

Kurt nodded. They were silent the whole way back to Kurt’s house. For a while Kurt had played with the radio, but after finding a good station, he just stared out the window.

“You know he’s okay,” Blaine said, “and you know it’s not your fault, right? You can’t blame yourself for not answering the phone. You needed time and had no way of knowing.”

“I know…but it’s hard to not wish that I had picked up just once. Things might be different.” He sighed.

Blaine reached out a hand and Kurt grasped it. He drove one handed – except for turns – until they reached Kurt’s house and then he parked and the two of them got out and he immediately wrapped an arm around Kurt’s shoulders.

Rory was definitely still at Kurt’s house when they got there, but what they didn’t expect was to find him crying and being held by Kurt’s dad. The two of them stopped just within the living room entrance. Kurt was ready to walk forward, but Blaine stopped him when Burt started talking.

“Hush, Kiddo, we’ll figure it out and you’ll be home in no time. I want you to stop worrying about everything and maybe try to accept that even if you get back that you didn’t change anything.”

This time, Blaine didn’t stop Kurt.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his eyes going soft when they landed on Rory who gasped and tried to compose himself quickly.

Kurt grabbed a tissue box and handed it to their son.

“Talk,” he said and then walked to sit down next to Rory.

Blaine was rooted in the spot, but when Kurt looked at him, he moved and perched himself on the arm of the couch. Kurt shifted so he could lean against him.

Rory was wiping his face with the tissues he’d been handed and he looked miserable. Blaine wanted to just wrap him in a hug and then make him cookies and hug him some more. Kurt grabbed the wet crumpled up tissues from Rory and put them on the coffee table and then he took Rory’s hand. Blaine could feel the love he felt for Kurt just grow.

“How long have you known?” Kurt asked and it was directed at Burt.

“Since Christmas,” Kurt’s dad said, “he’s so much like you, Kurt, of course I figured it out. He has so much of you in him and then he’ll do something and it’s a Blaine mannerism straight and simple.”

Kurt laughed. “Gosh,” he said, “and I couldn’t believe it when he told us. I’m still sorry about that.” The last he directed at Rory who just nodded.

“So, what was this, then?” Blaine asked, “are you okay?”

Rory sort of shrugged.

“Come on, Rors, you can tell us.”

Rory only sobbed and Kurt just pulled him forward and Rory just buried his face in Kurt’s neck, the grip that he had on Kurt so fierce that Blaine didn’t think anyone could have pulled them apart and Blaine felt that warmth of love again and the need to be connected to these two people in front of him.

“It might be better if you let it drop,” Burt said. He had a mixture of pride and concern written over his face. He stood up and looked directly at Blaine, “there are some things that you’re better off not knowing.”

After Burt left the room, Blaine stood up and went to sit on Rory’s other side and he met Kurt’s eyes and knew that his boyfriend agreed that they just wouldn’t question Rory anymore. It was a surprise though to see him in such a state again and Blaine was starting to think that whatever he was hiding – probably related to why he’d come back in the first place – was stressing him out and leading to this.

\- - -

Ireland had peanut butter. Sugar was almost positive that Ireland had to have peanut butter. They were seated in a circle on the auditorium stage where they would be singing for Regionals the next day and Mr. Shuester had just presented Rory with a jar of peanut butter and she had to hold herself back from strangling him. Why had she gotten stuck in the past with such an idiot.

“This is delicious,” Rory said and he licked the spoon. At least he was a good actor.

Rory had definitely had peanut butter before though and Sugar didn’t want to know why Mr. Shuester had this idea that Rory had never had any. She decided it was better not to question it.

The whole thing turned out to be more talk about David Karofsky or rather Shuester’s way of trying to make sure they all understood why it happened and why they shouldn’t be led to it. Sugar could almost doubt the validity of his story as just a tool to teach.

When it came to going around the circle asking everyone what they were looking forward to Sugar could only come up with one answer but it wasn’t one she could say out loud.

“To Sex in the City 3,” she said instead and it was a bit of a joke because she knew for a fact that there wouldn’t be a third one. And gosh were those movies classics.

Really what she was looking forward to was to seeing her moms again, to sleeping in her own bed in her own room, and to being able to be so worried about everything. The faltering smile on Rory’s lips told her he was thinking along the same lines. He was probably thinking about Blaine too. Sugar hadn’t really thought about the reason Rory used the time machine – wanting to stop Blaine from dying – and how that was all going to work now that they were so far back. A big part of her wanted to tell him to give it up and that they just couldn’t mess with things like that, but really she wanted Blaine back in the future too.

When everything was said and done they all got up and then it was back to practice. Sugar knew there was a reason she hadn’t joined the glee club in the future, and she didn’t regret it one bit because all the dancing and the repetition of the same song over and over again was driving her crazy and she couldn’t wait to just leave the school already.

Somehow Kurt had told Santana that he and Blaine knew about the whole future thing and after practice was over they were all heading to Brittany’s to try and help her get motivated on fixing it. She still wasn’t sure how Kurt had managed to keep her mami from questioning how Kurt and Blaine found out or why they were so interested, but she wasn’t going to sabotage what they’d fixed up now that everyone was finally working towards what she wanted. To get back to where she belonged.

The competition went well the next day and Sugar could even say that she had fun. After the whole thing with the warblers and Sebastian, Rachel had insisted that she have a solo and she was obnoxious about it all, except that at least she stopped talking about the wedding.

It came as no surprise to Sugar that they won. Rory had already told her that this was the year the New Directions went on to win Nationals. Sugar hadn't been sure but mostly because she didn't care about the whole glee club thing like Rory did. She’d never asked either of her moms about it, but she knew Rory had wanted to know everything about their time in Glee club.

After they won, Rachel was back on her wedding plans. They were all going to go home and get ready before heading to city hall where it was going to take place. Sugar was still desperately hoping that something would stop it from happening.

"My grandparents were trying to do something about it but I don't think they were successful," Rory said right after the competition.

Sugar sighed. "I really hope that something happens to stop this."

Kurt and Blaine appeared, then, holding hands. They were both smiling.

"Are you coming with us, Rory?" Blaine asked.

Rory nodded.

"See you later."

Sugar nodded. She was going to get ready with the other girls at Brittany's house. The only one that wasn't coming was Quinn. She and Rachel had argued about the whole wedding thing again and she was refusing to come which bothered Rachel for some reason.

When Mercedes appeared with Brittany, they motioned for her to come with them. Sugar still didn't really fit in like Rory did, but ever since she'd thrown that valentine's day party they were all getting along with her better and as much as Sugar tried to keep her distance from them, she really did like all of them.

\- - -

They stopped to grab their suits from Kurt’s house and then they were off to the hospital. Kurt hadn’t had the time to go see Karofsky since it happened, but he’d assured Blaine that he would be quick and that they could head directly to the wedding afterwards. Rory had opted to tag along with them, though mostly because he didn’t want to be with Finn who was a trainwreck of nerves.

“Do you want me to come in with you?” Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head. So, Rory and Blaine sat in the waiting room.

“So do they go through with it?” Blaine asked, “with the wedding I mean?”

“I have no idea,” Rory said and it was nice to be able to say that to someone other than Sugar. “I don’t want to mess up the future – but, hey, maybe I already did.”

“What do you mean?”

The waiting room was like any other waiting room. It was kind of big, with some patterned carpet, ugly wall paper, worn magazines, and a bunch of people. Rory didn’t want to be too loud.

“I mean that neither of you ever told me about a wedding happening this year,” Rory said, “Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel got married after college. They’ve been married less time than you and dad.”

Blaine somehow found the fact that he and Kurt would get married first refreshing and simply put: awesome. It wasn’t that it was a competition with Finn and Rachel, he just liked the idea that it would be he and Kurt who were married first and not Finn and Rachel.

“Do you think it was insignificant that we just didn’t feel like sharing it? Or is this a result of you being here?”

Blaine hadn’t, before this moment, actually wondered if Rory was changing anything by just being a part of the past. Could Rory be changing a lot of things drastically enough that when he went back to his own time parts of it wouldn’t be familiar to him?

ldquo;I don’t know,” he said, “I guess if they do, you know, end up married by the end of today we’ll know that something Sugar or I did caused it and then we have to consider what else we might have changed.”

Blaine nodded. He really hoped, more than he had before, that Finn and Rachel were stopped before they said “I Do”. He didn’t know a whole lot about the future, but he was positive that it was a good one but mostly because of Rory and he didn’t want to have anything tamper the possibility that he and Kurt had him and raised him.

When Kurt came back out he looked a little teary, but he was smiling. “I think he’s going to be okay,” he said, “we agreed to keep in touch and he’s going to get a therapist. His mom didn’t react too well, but he has his dad.”

Blaine stood up at once and grabbed his hand. “You are amazing, you know that,” he whispered, “and I hope he told you not to blame yourself.”

“In a way. He understood why I didn’t answer.”

Their suits were in the car along with a bag that contained hairspray and gel. They were going to get to City Hall with just enough time to commandeer the bathroom to change and fix up their hair. Blaine knew that Kurt wasn’t taking the entire thing seriously and it was the one reason he wasn’t actually fixing himself up like he would normally.

When they arrived, they went directly to the bathroom and each of them changed in the different stalls. Kurt helped Blaine with his bowtie and then let the other boy go add more gel to his hair. He then helped Rory who was looking awkward in his suit and like he was ready to just change back into the clothes he’d been in earlier.

Blaine watched as Kurt finally fixed himself up and then the three boys left the bathroom. For a moment they walked into the room with the boys. Finn was a nervous wreck and he looked a mixture of unsure and ready. Blaine could understand what he was feeling, but he also thought it was just really stupid to think that getting married would solve all his problems.

They didn’t stay with the boys too long because Rachel was texting Kurt to come see her. Rory was talking to Sam and Artie, so the two of them just stepped out.

“Rory told me he never heard about them getting married now,” Blaine told Kurt when they were walking towards the sitting room Rachel and the bridesmaids had been out in, “he also told me that you and I get married before them.”

Kurt laughed and leaned over to press a kiss on his cheek.

Rachel looked beautiful in her dress, but she seemed to be stressing over something. She was holding onto her phone tightly.

“What’s going on?” Kurt asked.

Rachel rushed over and hugged him. Blaine dropped his hand and watch her pull Kurt away.

“Quinn’s not here yet,” Rachel said, “and she’s not answering. She was just going home to get her dress.”

The next ten minutes felt really long. Rachel kept texting Quinn and showing signs of beginning to freak out. Blaine thought that she was using Quinn as an excuse to continue holding back the wedding. He didn’t understand why Rachel seemed to think it was so important for Quinn to be a part of it. She hadn’t been coming originally.

The rest of the boys, following Finn entered when it seemed that they needed to take their time slot. There were cries from the girls about bad luck, and the combination of Rachel’s dad’s and Burt and Carole looked like they wanted to do anything possible to stop this from happening.

Rachel was waving her phone about. “She said she’s on her way. We can wait a little longer.”

\- - -

They waited too long. Or rather, his dad went and talked to someone to make sure that they wouldn’t just marry Rachel and Finn. Kurt thought that it was brilliant. His dad had realized that Rachel was stalling for Quinn and he’d figured out a way to stop the wedding altogether. Somehow, Kurt thought that Finn looked a little bit relieved. He knew everyone else was.

So, they headed to Rachel’s house anyway because there was still some light refreshments and they couldn’t go to waste.

“Regionals victory party,” Rachel had said, “and, hey, this will give us more time to properly plan the wedding.”

Kurt was not the only one to groan. There was no talking to them around the idea, Kurt was hoping that when they finally got their NYADA letters and she was accepted that she would forget all about it. He had decided against asking Rory about it, but he was nervous about the upcoming audition he would have to do.

Before they left, Rachel tried to call Quinn again, but she didn’t answer. She texted her a few bunch of times and then asked someone else to try calling her. Again nothing.

“I’ll leave a message,” she said and tried to call again. This time someone picked up.

“Quinn!” Rachel said, but nothing else. She gasped, and then the phone fell from her hands.

“Rach? What is it?”

Rachel shook her head. Her eyes were wide and they darted around the room. “She was in an accident,” she said, “I don’t…oh, god, I was texting her.”

They were all unbearably quiet. None of them could believe it. Quinn had gotten into an accident on the way to the wedding. She had stopped it – put a pause on it anyway – but at the risk of her life. It was too much. This week had been filled with almost deaths. Actually, they didn’t even know how Quinn was, or if she would make it. She had to. Kurt couldn’t help but look at Rory.

He was pale as a sheet. Before Kurt could move to him though, Blaine was there and Kurt thought it was the most beautiful thing to see Blaine wrap an arm around their son and to see Rory just stare at Blaine’s face as if he were going to disappear at any moment.

Kurt gasped. “No,” he whispered. It couldn’t be.

Somehow he moved, stumbling across the room to Blaine and Rory.

“Kurt?” Blaine asked, “Kurt, are you alright?”

Around them other things were happening. Someone was calling Quinn’s mom, someone else was calling Quinn’s number back and hoping it would be answered. Someone was trying to figure out which hospital she might be taken to. Kurt could only see Rory and Blaine and the way that Rory’s eyes were moist or how he had a grip on Blaine’s blazer.

“What is going on here?”

Kurt jumped. It was his dad, back from wherever he and Rachel’s dads had gone.

Finn tried to explain. His mom was there and she was helping them and instructing them on what to do, but Kurt was still frozen.

“Kiddo, are you…I know she was your friend, but you know she’s going to be…”

Kurt stared up at his dad and he remembered just the other day. Rory crying. His dad had to know.

“Please tell me it isn’t true. You know, right? He told you. It’s not. It can’t be.”

His dad didn’t respond, but that said it all.

“No. No. Please.”

Arms gathered him and he was engulfed by the smell of comfort that would always be his father. He closed his eyes tight and wished desperately that it was all just a dream


	17. The Flapping of Butterflies

“Did you know?” Rory asked Sugar later, “about Quinn’s accident.”

nbsp; 

The thing was that despite all the information about famous actress Quinn Fabray that could be found on the internet, Rory had never really wondered about her much in the future. He’d thought she was pretty and that she was decent enough on the T.V. show she was in the cast of but he hadn’t really watched that either. His dads did sometimes, and he knew they still kept in contact, but just enough to send well wishes for birthdays and cards for holidays.

“No,” Sugar said, “no idea. I’m actually a little worried. The wedding was stopped for now but they still have plans to go through with it and Quinn is alive in the future.”

They were in the hospital. Rory actually had no idea how he’d gotten there. Car accidents would never be the same to him again and he’d sort of freaked out when Rachel first told them. It was hard to think about any car accident. He remembered Blaine standing next to him and how he’d wrapped an arm around him. Rory had lost himself in knowing that for the moment his papa was alive and well.

He remembered still being with him while they were going to the hospital and along the way they’d gotten separated and now he was with sugar and neither of his dads were anywhere to be found.

“Maybe she’ll be fine,” Rory said, “they said it wasn’t life threatening.”

The entire of the New Directions were sitting in the waiting room, taking up a good portion of the room. They were all still in their wedding clothes and no one wanted to leave to get changed despite how uncomfortable they might be. Maybe his dads had gone to get a change of clothes. It would seem like his something had dad might do.

“Maybe,” Sugar said. She dropped her head on his shoulder, “I hope so.”

It was a few hours before anything happened. Mrs. Fabray hadn’t told them to leave, but being the only blood relative she was technically they only one allowed to see Quinn. Still, they stayed until Mrs. Fabray could tell them something. It wasn’t good news. There was some damage to her spine and the doctors didn’t know if it could mean that she wouldn’t be able to walk again. They still had a lot of testing to do.

Kurt and Blaine did not return the whole time, and when someone asked about them it was Finn that answered.

“They’re back at my house,” he said, “Kurt wasn’t feeling too well.”

But Kurt had been fine. Something had happened, Rory was sure of it. Sugar must have noticed his distress because she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“Oh,” Rachel said, “well, I hope he’s feeling better. Although it’s a bit unexpected.”

No one said anything else about it and no one asked about Blaine.

He got a ride with Finn after they all decided it was time to leave the hospital. He insisted that Finn just take him back to the Hummel-Hudson house. He lied to his uncle about needing to pick up his clothes. Finn was distracted enough over the whole Quinn thing and probably the wedding too that he just went along with it.

n fact, Finn was so distracted that after letting Rory in he just walked up the stairs and left Rory standing by the door. He decided to head into the living room and then kitchen, but both rooms were empty so he walked up the stairs.

“Nothing’s wrong,” his dad was saying, “I’m just emotionally exhausted. This week has been a wreck and I just didn’t want to sit in the hospital for hours. We weren’t going to be able to see her.”

His papa’s voice responded. “You don’t seem fine, Kurt. You reacted worse than Rachel and that’s saying something. I just know something else happened. You’re not telling me something.”

They were silent and then Rory heard the creak of a mattress. “I just want you to hold me, okay, and to put this day behind us and just forget about it.”

There was a long pause again before his papa spoke and his words were mumbled. Rory pressed himself against the wall. He was sure something had happened, he just didn’t know what.

“I love you so much, Blaine.”

“Love you too.”

After that they were silent. Rory stayed against the wall for just a little while longer, but then he walked back down the hall and down the stairs. Maybe his dad had just been affected by Karofsky and Quinn. It could easily be nothing. He didn’t have to be so worried. In fact, he had other things to deal with like the possibility that if Quinn didn’t walk ever again that he, Sugar, or the both of them had caused it to happen somehow.

\- - -

Quinn was back to school on the same day that Blaine got a text from the one person he hadn’t heard from in months. His brother. He was coming home. Blaine didn’t know if he should be excited or not. He and Cooper didn’t have the best relationship and Blaine hadn’t seen him in almost two years, but they did still e-mail and text each other and to be quite truthful, Blaine did miss his brother. Maybe it would be a good thing that he was coming to visit.

Things had been kind of odd since Regionals. Everyone was still sort of buzzing from their win, but that was overshadowed by Quinn’s accident, and everyone in the school was talking about that. The accident had served to do a few things and that was stop talk of Finn and Rachel’s wedding, but it would be just a matter of time before it was a big topic of conversation, and it had stopped everyone from whispering about Dave’s suicide attempt.

Blaine had been focused on something else while everyone talked about Quinn and tried to figure out when she might return to school, and that was Kurt. Ever since the day of the accident, he’d been acting stranger than usual. He was being contrary. They’d been spending a lot of time together, but he was distant and sometimes Blaine even thought that Kurt was keeping from him, but then his boyfriend would reassure him and hiss him and everything would be alright again. The worst, though, was that Kurt seemed to be keeping Rory at a distance and Blaine could see how much that hurt their son, but Kurt just refused to talk about it. Sometimes, Blaine caught him staring at Rory, though, and the pensive look was always put away when Blaine approached him.

Cooper texted him a few more times that morning until Blaine finally decided to answer and agreed that he’d go out to lunch with him when he was in town, and then also to introduce him to Kurt. Blaine was actually a little concerned about that, but mostly because he’d never told Kurt who his brother was despite how often Kurt asked. His parents had never been ones to display a lot of pictures around the house, so Kurt hadn’t even gotten to see that except for a couple from when they were kids and neither Blaine or Cooper looked much like they did back then.

“Hey, Blaine,” Rory said, coming up to him at his locker.

“Hey. What’s up?”

Rory bit his lip nervously. “She’s in a wheel chair,” he whispered, “I – in my future she can walk.”

Ever since the accident, Blaine had been researching time-travel which was stupid because it hadn’t even been invented yet – and it was possible that only Brittany’s machine worked – and so far most of what he’d found was in movies or books and that wasn’t all that helpful.

There was one thing that had intrigued him though and that was the chaos theory. He hadn’t shared with Rory yet, and a part of him didn’t really want to because Blaine couldn’t even be sure that it was a real thing that would apply to them.

“I don’t think her spine was damaged like Artie’s,” Blaine settled on, “it might just be temporary.”

Rory nodded, but he still looked wary. It was better that he wasn’t going to share what he’d found with him. He might tell Kurt later, thought, or maybe Brittany. It was odd to think that the girl that often made crazy remarks could be some genius inventor in the future, but Blaine could actually sort of see why.

They had actually gone over to help her with building the time machine a few times already and Blaine still couldn’t believe that she had already created so many things. A part of him was intimidated to find out just what kind of changes she would bring to their future and all from ideas she claimed to come from her cat. All geniuses were supposed to be eccentric, though, and Brittany was more than just that, she was sweet.

“Could be,” Rory said.

That day in glee club they found out that she was already getting some feeling back and that Quinn was absolutely positive that she would be walking by the time Nationals came around. Blaine hoped so. The news seemed to have calmed Rory and he could see Rory and Sugar relax some.

Since Valentine’s day, the two of them had decided to continue fake dating. It was mostly because of Artie, but Blaine was starting to wonder if there wasn’t something else there. Sometimes he had to remind himself that Rory was always saying that she was his cousin – though not by blood.

“Hey,” Kurt said after glee was over, “do you want to come over tonight? I’m cooking dinner, but I thought you could help and I’ll maybe even let you make those deliciously fattening cookies of yours.”

Blaine laughed. “Uh, sure.” It might even give him time to talk about the whole Rory thing and the chaos theory even though it looked like Quinn was going to be alright and Rory hadn’t changed anything.

“Cool,” Kurt said, “can you drive Rory home first? He asked me for a ride, but I have to run to the grocery store.”

Blaine stared after him when he walked away. It was probably the third time in two weeks that Kurt had just pushed Rory onto him, not that Blaine minded. He had just been really used to seeing the two of them together so often that he and Kurt had had to start scheduling make out sessions.

“Where did Kurt run off to?”

Rory stood behind him, bag slung over his shoulder. Sugar was nowhere to be seen. She was always disappearing and Blaine was pretty sure that she tried really hard not to interact with anyone if she could help it.

“Has to get groceries,” Blaine said, “he’s cooking dinner tonight.”

Rory frowned. “Oh,” he said.

“But,” Blaine said, “it gives us some time to hang out. And, hey, it looks like Quinn will be just fine. There is no reason for you to still be down about anything.”

Rory nodded, but he still looked noticeably upset. Blaine threw an arm around him. “Come on, we can stop by the Lima Bean. I’ll buy you a cookie.”

Rory laughed, but he nodded.

Blaine really needed to have a talk with Kurt. He didn’t get it. Everything had been fine for weeks and then the day of the accident he’d just freaked out and refused to talk about it. He’d even handed the keys to his car to Blaine and disappeared with his dad. Blaine had had to drive a few of the others to the hospital, but then he’d headed straight to Kurt’s and his boyfriend had given him no explanation and just asked him to make him a cup of tea. Blaine had noticed the two empty cups that had no doubt held milk but hadn’t commented on them.

Then, Kurt had dragged him up to his room and instead of talking he’d kissed Blaine hard and that had been enough to make Blaine forget for a moment, but everything had come back later when they had to cool off because Kurt’s dad was home and things were getting heated fast. That’s when Blaine had seen Kurt’s face again close enough to notice that he had been crying before he got there and that he’d tried to hide it with makeup which had rubbed off when they were rolling around on his bed. He also noticed that he was close to tears in that moment.

Kurt had refused to talk though, and so Blaine had been left just holding him and eventually the two of them just fell asleep and after that Blaine didn’t really see a sign of him being upset, but Kurt had changed a little bit.

“You know my brother’s coming to visit late this week,” Blaine told Rory when they were in his car.

Rory always looked nervous when he was getting in a car. Blaine had never noticed it before he started giving him rides, but he’d decided that it most likely had to do with the old models of cars that were around in comparison to in the future. They were probably much safer in the future.

“Uncle Cooper!” Rory exclaimed, “I didn’t even think I’d get to see him in this time.”

Blaine laughed. “So, I guess you’ve met.”

“He’s the coolest,” Rory said, “he always used to bring the best gifts. When I get home, I’m going to make fun of him so much for how he is now. I’ve heard stories, and everyone says he was way more self-absorbed before he met…well, I probably shouldn’t say, but you always told the best stories about when he was younger.”

The lit up look in Rory’s eyes and the wide smile made Blaine’s heart soar. Was this how it felt to be a parent and experience secondhand happiness for one’s offspring? If it was, then Blaine wanted Rory to always be happy.

\- - -

Kurt was sort of freaking out. He had been for the weeks after he took one look at Blaine and Rory and he knew why his son had been in tears just days before. His dad had confirmed it and even explained everything to him, and almost two weeks later, Kurt was still not sure how to get back to normalcy. He knew he was acting off, but who wouldn’t be if they learned that the boy they were going to marry was going to die when their son was sixteen.

When he got home, and not with the groceries that he’d told Blaine he was going to buy, Kurt just went up to his room and collapsed on his bed without even removing his shoes. Lately, all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and stay there forever. Except that he would remember that he and Blaine had only so much time to be together and then he would stop and call Blaine and hope that his boyfriend was free, which most of the time he was.

He stayed on the bed until he heard the doorbell ring and after looking at himself in the mirror and pushing a few pieces of errant hair out of his face, Kurt walked downstairs to open the door. He threw a smile on and when Blaine came into view pulled him into a tight hug.

“Oh, hello,” Blaine said.

Kurt let go, but only long enough to pull him in again and plant a kiss on him. Kurt could tell that Blaine hadn’t expected it, but he settled into it and Kurt hummed when he pulled back. How could he even begin to imagine that one day he wouldn’t be able to do this because Blaine would be gone?

“Not cooking yet, but we can go upstairs and…”

Blaine shook his head. He grabbed both of Kurt’s hands. “Enough,” he said, “there’s been something bothering you for days now, Kurt, and I’m not going to let you kiss your way out of an explanation.”

Kurt had seen this coming. And he knew that he couldn’t answer Blaine. It was one thing for him to know that Blaine was going to die and that Rory had wound up in their time because he was trying to fix it, but it would be another entirely for Blaine to know. It would destroy him, change him in ways that Kurt didn’t even want to think about.

“I – nothing is bothering me,” Kurt said.

Blaine shook his head. “Something is. Something to do with Rory. You hurt him today, you know.”

Kurt knew. Of course he knew.

“Why are you pulling away? What is going on?”

“It’s the time machine,” Kurt said. It was the first thing that had come to him.

“What about it?”

Blaine had grabbed his wrist, and he pulled Kurt towards the living room. Rory had cried in his arms on that very couch two weeks before. He almost couldn’t stand to sit in the same spot.

“He’s going to leave,” Kurt said, “and I just think it’s best if I pull away, if I don’t get attached.”

Blaine was watching him, looking for anything that might tell him there was more to it. Kurt knew that Blaine suspected there was something more, but luckily, Blaine didn’t push. He probably knew they weren’t going to get any farther.

“He was worried about Quinn all week. Did he tell you? He thought that his being here was the reason the wedding was taking place and then that he changed something and that made Quinn have her accident. I started looking into it.”

“How?”

At least having something to discuss that didn’t touch on everything Kurt was terrified of could distract him. He wanted to cling to anything that might make him focus on something else.

“Library. Internet. There isn’t much. But I did look into some hypothetical scientific research – nothing particularly good came up – and then there was this link and I clicked it because I was curious and…”

Kurt loved how Blaine could be like a puppy in his excitement for things. He wondered if putting Blaine’s dog next to him would diminish his dog like qualities.

“What did you find, Blaine?”

“Right,” Blaine said, “I found this theory, the chaos theory. Some call it the butterfly theory.”

“Like the movie?” Kurt asked, “Ashton Kutcher? Finn made me watch with him, can’t really remember a lot of it.”

“Haven’t seen it,” Blaine said.

“Go on.”

“Well, it’s this idea that something complex can never be predicted exactly because of all the chaos that surrounds it. All the crazy little things that just have to come together for it to actually, you know, happen.”

“Okay,” Kurt said. Somehow it was hitting way close to home. A death was a super complicated thing.

“So, and this is why they sometimes call it the butterfly theory, taking weather as an example the idea is that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings is directly affecting say a tornado happening somewhere else in the world. So, if you take that butterfly away it could change everything – the tornado might not happen at all.”

Was it possible that something so big could be altered? Even stopped. Kurt pushed the hope that wanted to rush up, down. No. He couldn’t let himself believe it wouldn’t happen.

Blaine took a deep breath. “So, then, I was thinking about the whole time-travel thing in relation to this and it sort of hit me that if a teeny tiny butterfly flapping its wings could pretty much change the course of the weather then what could two teenagers walking around and living here – in a time they’re not supposed to – do to the world as a whole? What could they change? If x and y are supposed to happen in a certain way so that z happens, then what if the x happens later or earlier or not at all, then what happens to z?”

Kurt was floored. What had Rory done? If this theory – this crazy theory that Blaine probably didn’t know a whole lot about was right, then it wasn’t just Blaine’s death that Kurt had to worry about. He also had to worry about the possibility of another big event not happening at all – Rory’s own existence. And these were just things related to them…there could be so much else altered.

“Oh, god,” Kurt said, “but then, nothing can be predicted then? You can’t say what will or won’t make everything a certain way…there’s too many factors.”

His dad had shared with him something that had worried him a little on the night he discovered why Rory was in the past, now it worried him all the more.

“I haven’t told this to Rory,” his dad had said, “but I’ve been wondering for a while now if it were possible that Blaine…that he, um, dies because Rory is here now. If by trying to save him, if Rory didn’t just create the event…you know, made it set in stone.”

But he couldn’t tell that to Blaine.

“Exactly,” Blaine said, “and I’m still thinking about Finn and Rachel’s wedding because they’ve only rescheduled it and…”

Kurt tuned him out. Of course Blaine would be thinking about the wedding, about the idiotic wedding that Rory and Sugar were adamant they’d never heard of happening. Maybe it would. Maybe it wouldn’t. There were more important things to think about, things that were life and death


	18. Big Brother

Blaine hadn’t actually had a chance to tell Kurt about Cooper coming to visit until the day that Cooper was picking him up from school. Ever since he explained what he’d found, it was all they could talk about. It further isolated Kurt from Rory and somehow it made Kurt a bit clingy. Blaine thought that his boyfriend had almost burst into tears when Blaine had to leave that night. Something was seriously wrong, but Kurt just wasn’t budging.

He told Kurt about Cooper when all their classes were over and they only had glee left and Blaine was glad to have a change of subject. Kurt looked happy about it too, he was excited to meet Cooper.

Blaine didn’t really talk about his brother, and it had probably been a mistake to not prepare Kurt for who he was going to be meeting, but he’d been distracted and the future really mattered more than if Kurt got upset because Blaine hadn’t told Kurt that the good looking guy on the free credit commercials was his brother. There had been a good week during the summer when Kurt had gushed about Cooper at any chance he got and Blaine who had wanted to tell Kurt about the gig his brother landed, had stopped short and then he’d just never told him.

So, he was sort of prepared for Kurt to be surprised and possibly mad. He didn’t expect awestruck. He also certainly did not expect for Sue of all people to get a fanatic gleam in her eyes or for her to offer Cooper a boob to sign. Blaine really didn’t want to think about that. He also really didn’t want to think about how the rest of the glee club would react if they caught sight of him.

“That’s why I don’t really talk about my brother,” Blaine told Kurt while Sue commandeered Cooper into a walk away from them.

Kurt stared after them and didn’t even respond to Blaine and Blaine just sighed. It was going to be a long week, and really, he should have seen all of this coming.

Rachel and Finn showed up to drag Kurt away from some senior class business and invited Blaine along except that he knew he had to make sure Cooper didn’t go making a fool of himself or Blaine.

“I really like him,” Cooper said, “Kurt. Do you mind if we stay a little longer? Ms. Sue Sylvester asked if I could stop by the glee club – there’s a meeting in ten minutes.”

Blaine could only stare at him. When they were on the phone the night before he’d specifically told Cooper that he had a glee club meeting and to pick him up at least a half hour after school let out.

“Coop, I’m in the glee club.”

“Oh, right. Cool. Well, come on, squirt.”

Blaine sighed. It was going to be a really long week.

After glee, in which Blaine ended up singing with Cooper – and actually, that part he enjoyed, though not so much how his brother only praised himself afterwards – they went out to Breadstix and Blaine wished that he had invited Kurt or Rory out with them even though he was pretty sure that Rory had been copying his uncle’s Irish accent and that might have been too much for Blaine.

Their entire lunch didn’t go like Blaine had wanted it to. Part of it was to do with the fact that Blaine wasn’t fully there. The possibility that Rory hadn’t just changed a teeny tiny thing, but in fact everything in their future nagged at him and having Cooper try to give him pointers on his performance just wasn’t something he needed. He didn’t understand why Cooper had always been like this with him.

There was a ten year gap between the two of them and growing up, Cooper had always joked that it was because Blaine was an accident – the unplanned child. But Blaine had had a good childhood, unplanned or not up until middle school. He had the childhood that any kid would want. And maybe it was the age difference or jealousy or any other number of reasons, but Cooper had never been impressed with Blaine and it was all that Blaine had wanted – to impress his older grown up brother.

After he came out, Cooper was the only one to really stand by him in the sense that he didn’t bat an eye when the news got to him. He took it like “Oh, you’re gay. Cool.” And then he never mentioned it again. By then, Cooper had a girlfriend and his own life. He was still living at home but going to college, and then months before the whole incident at the Sadie Hawkins dance he was gone, off to California with dreams of becoming an actor. He’d dropped out of school, got himself some headshots and he was out in the world.

Their relationship had never been the best, but after the whole thing with the dance, Cooper had started to try. There were e-mails, phone calls, and texts and when he came home to visit they hung out. It was only when Cooper realized that Blaine too was interested in singing, acting, and dancing that things just changed again. Maybe Cooper thought that he was being helpful when he criticized or tried to give Blaine pointers.

“How’s it going in California?” Blaine asked.

Cooper was still twirling a piece of bread between his fingers, “It’s great,” Cooper said, “you have to come out sometime see what the business is all about.”

Blaine could have groaned. He let Cooper talk about Hollywood for a while longer. The thing was that he couldn’t really hate Cooper. He was Blaine’s brother and the only one in his family that really accepted his sexuality. His parents were getting better about it, but they were always going to be uncomfortable. There was also the fact that Cooper really was unaware of how he came off as well.

“Tell me about Kurt.”

Blaine almost jumped.

“Oh, um…well, you met him today…”

Cooper nodded. “Has good taste.”

“Oh, thanks…I guess.”

Cooper tilted his head to the side, “but not really in clothes. You should really stop letting him dress you.”

Blaine was pretty sure he’d picked out everything he was wearing on his own. Okay, maybe Kurt had picked out the cardigan and he’d definitely given an opinion on what he should pair things with. But Kurt was better at fashion and Blaine liked the way he dressed.

“He didn’t dress me,” Blaine said.

“Sure,” Cooper said, but he didn’t look like he believed it. Blaine was going to hear about this for the rest of the week.

“Well, he’s Kurt. He’s opinionated and humble, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to be together for the rest of our lives.”

Cooper coughed. “Right,” he said, “isn’t it a bit early to have made that decision up already?”

It wasn’t too early. Blaine could understand why Finn and Rachel had been so ready to jump into a marriage, because if he was going to be frank, he was ready to leap and take that step with Kurt as well, especially now that he knew that the future he and Kurt wanted for themselves with Rory had every possibility of not happening at all.

\- - -

Regionals had been won just two weeks before, and Rory couldn’t understand why they were working so hard on dance moves for songs they hadn’t even decided on for Nationals. Really Rory’s problem was that Sue seemed to have taken over and it was just weird to have her around so much. What was also weird was having his Uncle Cooper around.

It was funny, but he didn’t look all that different in the future, though maybe less defined. But even in the future, he kept a strict diet and exercise regimen to keep himself looking his best and Rory knew that his uncle went to the salon at least once a month to get his hair dyed. One thing was having grey hairs on the beard he sometimes let grow out, another was having some in his hair.

What was different about him, was how he seemed to know nothing about acting. The ‘Master Class’ that Sue had asked him to give them was a complete joke and his papa seemed to be the only one to notice.

Broadway was dead? No point in going to College? Rory wanted to laugh. He scribbled down anything and everything he could use later when he was home to make fun of him.

Rory had been so focused on taking things down for later amusement, that he failed to realize how much it was all affecting Blaine. No one seemed to notice, and when he finally had enough and ran out of the room, Cooper acted like he didn’t really even care or understand why Blaine had gotten upset.

Rory had to admit though, the whole pointing thing was absolutely ridiculous. Still, he could understand why the rest of the New Directions were all enamored with Cooper. He hadn’t exactly grown up with Cooper, but Cooper had always come around for the holidays and he’d always been fascinating to Rory. He loved hearing Cooper stories as ridiculous as they could get, and he’d loved to hear about the crazy Hollywood life that he lead even though most of what was said were lies.

Kurt told Rory not to worry about Blaine, that he’d need to cool off some. Rory was surprised that his dad stuck around long enough for Rory to get to speak to him.

“They get along in the future,” Rory said, “it’s just a little odd to not see them getting along now.”

Kurt nodded. “Hey, Rory, I’m really sorry. I’ve just been a little busy. You know my audition for NYADA is coming up and there’s just a bunch of other things and I just…I’m not ignoring you, okay?”

Rory knew he was lying. His dad hadn’t even picked out a song for his audition yet and Rory knew that because Rachel hadn’t picked one out yet. No, there was something else going on there. But Rory knew that it would be better for him to just not question it.

Cooper was in the front of the room motioning to his twitter handle. “You all better follow me,” he was saying, “and I will take pictures and sign autographs for all of you.”

There was a rush to start taking pictures and even Kurt looked a bit excited. That sort of made Rory uncomfortable because the way his dad was looking at Cooper just spoke of how attracted he was to him and Rory just didn’t want to think about any of it. It really just wasn’t fair.

“Your uncle is delicious,” Sugar whispered in ear and he jumped because he hadn’t even heard her approach, “I mean, look at that…”

Rory pulled away. “No,” he said, “do not finish that sentence.”

Sugar only laughed when he pulled away from her. They were sort of fake dating and it all felt all kinds of weird mostly because he hadn’t been spending a lot of time with Sugar before Valentine’s day and now he was forced to.

“You’ve met him in the future,” Rory insisted, “you didn’t think much of him then.”

Sugar pouted at him, “he’s married then and, you know, older.”

Rory just rolled his eyes. He kind of couldn’t believe Sugar, expect that actually he could. For being such a smart person, her logic sometimes didn’t agree with her. That was yet another reason for the fake dating – he didn’t want to give her any reason to go doing something as ridiculous as falling in love. Sometimes he still caught her looking at Artie in a way that suggested something could have definitely happened there. He shuddered to think of it.

“Is that going okay then?” Sugar asked, “you and your dad?”

Spending time with Sugar had served for a few things though, namely having someone to rant to and she knew all about his frustrations with his dad.

“Pointing just makes you appear serious! For real,” Cooper was saying, “and using my tornado method will practically guarantee you a role.”

It was funny that Cooper seemed to think that was a big part of getting a role – in the future it was a game he played with his uncle in the middle of the living room. They’d gotten in trouble once because Cooper ran into a table that knocked down a lamp whose wire hit Rory on the cheek and cut him. His dad had been pissed and not just because the lamp they’d broken was a very expensive gift from some fashion person that had been around when he first started out in New York. Rory could never remember her name.

“I guess,” he said, looking back at Sugar, “I just think something happened that day. I told you about what I overheard. He was asking for comfort. Something must have happened and it’s just changed everything between us and it’s like he tries to not be around me. On the other hand Blaine is always around these days and I just know something else is going on between them. And I know papa’s noticed – it’s like he’s trying to compensate for dad not being around.”

Sugar bit her lip. She’d heard it all before and she really had nothing more to add to what she’d said before.

“You don’t know everything that’s going on and it could have nothing to do with you. Maybe it’s to do with their relationship or he’s just busy. You don’t know anything.”

He knew that his dad would never just cut him off. He didn’t want to admit that that assessment was of his dad in the future and not now.

Kurt was across the room talking to Santana. They looked like they were having an argument. Rory wanted to get closer to try and see what they might be saying, but he knew it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to do that because it looked like they were making sure he and possibly even Sugar didn’t come near them to listen in.

“What do you think they’re talking about?”

Sugar just shrugged. “The time machine, maybe. Mom had a breakthrough this morning, not enough to finish building it quite yet, but enough to have a lot of work to do.”

Somehow they all wound up in the hallway, probably because other kids from the school had recognized Cooper and they also wanted pictures with him. At some point his dad and Santana just vanished.

\- - -

“What the hell, Hummel,” Santana said.

“We need to talk, Satan,” Kurt said and raised an eyebrow at her, “you know we do. I know you’re not stupid. I want to know how long you’ve known.”

Santana rolled her eyes and lifted her hand as if to examine her nails. She was trying to give him the air of uninterested, when in fact she was very interested. Kurt had known her long enough that it was better to just play along.

“Know what?” she asked.

“About Sugar,” Kurt said.

This reminded him a lot of the last conversation they’d had in an unused classroom and how he’d admitted that he knew all about Rory and Sugar being from the future and how he wanted to help.

Looking back on it, it had been way too easy for her to just let him and Blaine just help.

“What about Miss Sugar Motta?”

Santana leaned back against a desk and crossed her arms. Kurt didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to say it because he didn’t want to be the one to tell her if he was wrong. But Santana was certainly not going to admit to it on her own.

“About how she’s your daughter,” Kurt said and he closed his eyes.

Santana didn’t respond. She didn’t even laugh and call him crazy. When he opened his eyes again, she was looking down a bit and frowning. He’d been right. She knew all about Sugar being her daughter.

“Of course I knew,” Santana said, “what took me a while was figuring out that Mr. doughboy Irish was yours.”

Her admittance made everything much simpler. He still wasn't sure about what he was going to do and yet he just felt like he needed to tell her. Kurt couldn’t really discuss it with his dad because his dad was convinced they were going find a way to save him – all while trying not to get his hopes up – and he really couldn’t talk about it with Blaine. Rory also wasn’t an option because Kurt didn’t want him to know he knew especially now that there was this whole thing about the chaos theory which he still wasn’t too sure about. At least there was something to keep Blaine entertained.

"Well," he said, "now that is out of the way there's something I have to tell you."

"Get on with it," Santana said, "I have things to do and could be seriously unconcerned by whatever it is you and boy wonder want me to do about your spawn."

Kurt held in the first retort that came to him. Instead he took a deep breath. “It’s not just about my son,” he said, “it’s about your daughter and our entire future.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you ever wonder why they came?”

She shrugged. “Thought your precious Rory went and touched something he wasn’t supposed to and my daughter had to come make sure he didn’t get into any trouble.”

That gave her away. She cared. In fact, Santana had a competitive look in her eyes that told Kurt she thought Sugar was better than Rory. Kurt could have laughed. Santana tried to act so indifferent to everything around her, as if nothing could touch her, and yet she cared. Kurt shouldn’t have been so surprised.

“It’s because in the future my husband is dead,” Kurt said, “my Blaine dies. I don’t know how or when exactly, or any other minute detail but he dies and Rory thought that by using the machine that he could go back to save him. Instead, he came back here. And we sent Sugar – the two of us – we sent her to help him get back.”

Santana who was usually so ready with a quip was silent. She rubbed at her arms and she stared at a floor.

“So we have to find a way to save Blaine,” Santana said.

Kurt nodded.

“There’s more,” Santana said.

Kurt shifted his feet, crossing one leg over the other. He fiddled with a thread that was lose on his vest.

“Blaine thinks that Rory’s very presence has already changed the course of our future. There’s this theory and with everything going on with Finn and Rachel, Quinn’s accident and who knows what else, he thinks that a lot of things are already changing.”

“He doesn’t know,” Santana said, “does he?”

Kurt shook his head. “We’re not telling him.”

“Right,” she said, “then what are we going to do?"


	19. Margaret

Blaine could easily understand why all his friends and the kids that weren’t even his friends, were all over Cooper. What he couldn’t understand is why Cooper kept coming back to his school. He was probably enjoying the attention and everyone was talking about him. It was an improvement to hear excited whispers and dreamy sighs than everyone gossiping about Quinn or Karofsky.

From what Kurt told him, Karofsky was doing well. He hadn’t felt right going back to school yet, but he seemed to have at least decided that he wanted to live. Blaine was glad, but he hadn’t thought about it much.

Blaine watched his brother sign autographs and pose for pictures. Even Rory took a picture with him, but Blaine saw a gleam in his son’s eyes that let him accept it – Rory was having fun, he was grinning and Blaine wanted to see him like this always. Cooper was still driving him crazy though and Blaine just wished someone else could see what he saw.

His brother was an idiot. He knew nothing about acting – there was a reason he was stuck doing a series of commercials and he wasn’t on T.V. or movies. No one seemed to understand though not even Rachel who should have recognized that all his advice was wrong. It was no matter. He was just going to have to let Cooper enjoy the attention, possibly go out to eat with him again, and then he would be off back to Hollywood and everything that his life consisted of there.

Actually, he would be leaving pretty soon. He had an audition for the next Transformers movie. Blaine wanted to believe that his brother would get a role, but he knew better.

Boxing had always been a good stress reliever for Blaine, and with everything going on in his life he knew that he’d need it. He could work out the stress of knowing Kurt was still keeping something from him and of Cooper’s visit. At least his parents hadn’t forced him to go out to dinner with them and Cooper the night before.

He boxed until his arms felt like they wanted to fall off and then he decided he might as well take a shower. For the hour that he’d been in the locker room taking everything out on the punching bag, Blaine had ignored everything else and it felt nice to tear himself away from everything going on around him.

Blaine let the warm water roll down his shoulders and then down on his chest and back. His sore muscles began to feel better under the spray. If only other things could just get better with a shower. He leaned against the tiled stall wall. Before Rory his future had been just like everyone else’s an unknown prospect. Blaine had known that he wanted to go to New York with Kurt and he’d know that he wanted to marry Kurt eventually but those things had always been dreams, nothing set in stone.

Now that Rory was with them and could be the proof that all of his dreams became reality, Blaine couldn’t picture another future – he didn’t want another one – and it was hard to admit to himself that the future was once more this thing that he knew nothing about. He could hope that it would remain like Rory had described it, but there was no assurance that it would.

After getting dressed, Blaine finally checked his phone. There were a couple of missed calls from Cooper as well as a text. Kurt, though, had texted him a total of ten times. They were all some version of asking him where he was, or telling him that Kurt wanted him to come over.

He called him.

Kurt answered on the second ring. “Hey,” he said, “where are you?”

“Still at school. I was boxing for a bit, I guess I didn’t mention it to anyone. What’s going on?”

“We’re at Brittany’s,” Kurt said, “she’s kind of running around the room right now trying to find something. No idea what, but Rory says the machine is looking more and more like he remembers it. I don’t think it’s going to be much longer.”

Blaine sank onto the bench between the lockers. What would happen when Rory left?

When Blaine was little he’d always looked forward to the future. He’d wanted to grow up and be like his brother who was allowed to stay up late and watch all those movies that sounded terribly exciting to him. The future had been something to look forward to. Later, after Cooper moved out and after Blaine realized that growing up wasn’t all that he’d thought it would be, he looked forward to the future because it had to be better than the present. It had to be better than being teased or bullied for something he couldn’t even control. And after meeting Kurt, he had been happy to live in the now until they got together and he could dream of a future with them. After Rory arrived his future looked much more brighter they had been given proof that it would be better, but now the doubt was setting in because they didn’t know what could have been changed.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah. I think so,” Kurt said, “anyway, I’m here if you want to come join us. Or are you doing something with Cooper?”

Blaine didn’t know what he was doing, but he was sure that he didn’t want to go watch Brittany try and finish the time machine. He wanted to spend time with Cooper even less.

“I don’t know,” Blaine said, “I’m going to head home for a bit and see if he wants to do something before he leaves, he got a call earlier so he might be leaving tomorrow – I’ll let you know.”

“Alright.”

Cooper’s car wasn’t in the parking lot, so Blaine knew he’d either gone home or somewhere else. He got into his own car – glad that he had taken it that morning – and drove home, hoping that Cooper wouldn’t be there. He was.

“…and you just know it has to be for Transformers. Right?” Cooper’s voice carried from the kitchen.

Blaine rolled his eyes.

“Blaine is that you?”

“Yes, mom.”

Blaine had never been able to really understand the relationship that his parents had with Cooper mostly because Cooper should have been a disappointment with all the dropping out of school and wish to become an actor. But somehow they had always been very supportive of him and ready to send any amount of money he might need to make rent because “with so many auditions I don’t have time to work and I can’t make rent this month – I had to take out this producer I met out to dinner and…” Cooper’s big break had been these commercials and at least for the past year or so he’d been relatively good with his finances but it wasn’t going to last and he just wasn’t going to get the big role he desired. Blaine hated how their parents just coddled Cooper and let him keep believing he was actually good.

When he walked into the kitchen it was to find Cooper on the floor with Mojo who was wagging his tail and climbing all over him. Wonderful, even his dog liked Cooper.

“Well I hope you’re not running off with that boyfriend of yours tonight,” his mom said. She had an apron on and was actually stirring a pot, “we wanted to have a dinner as a family before Cooper has to leave. He has an audition to make.”

Blaine shrugged. “Yeah. I’ll be around.”

“Good.”

Mojo barked and licked at Cooper’s face and then ran to Blaine to be pet, but after saying hello he was back on Cooper. Blaine just sighed.

\- - -

They were done working on the time machine for the day, mostly because Brittany needed to take her cat to see a therapist. Kurt didn’t even bother to ask about those things anymore. So, Kurt gathered all his things together while she went to look for the cat. Santana lingered near the door with Rory, shaking her head.

“We’ll keep working on it soon,” Santana said and gave Kurt a pointed stare.

It was Santana’s opinion that they actually talk to Rory about Blaine’s death, but Kurt didn’t want to bother Rory with it. He knew exactly what it felt like to lose a parent and Kurt hated talking about that time in his life, so he knew that Rory wouldn’t feel up to talking about it and he really didn’t want to force it. What he’d told his dad would be enough.

“Yes,” Kurt said, “anyway, I should go.”

He reached for the door.

“Can I—”

“Yeah?” Kurt asked, turning to look at Rory.

Santana looked between them and then she sighed. “I think I’ll go help Britt.”

Rory stared after her.

“Rory?”

“Oh,” he said, “I was just – I want to spend some time with you. We haven’t in a while. I just…I miss you.”

Kurt closed his eyes. He’d been terrible. Blaine had told him that he’d hurt Rory and he’d even recognized that he’d done so, but he just hadn’t been able to face him yet. Even while working on the time machine Kurt had kept himself from him but that was mostly because of Santana and the way she was looking at them even if she did know the truth now.

“Come here,” Kurt said and opened his arms.

Rory hugged him tight and Kurt felt all the tension he’d been carrying around just fall to the side.

“Of course you can spend time with me,” Kurt told him as they pulled apart, “in fact, why don’t you come to senior ditch day tomorrow. And we can do something tonight. Come on.”

They left the house and got into Kurt’s car when Kurt got a text.

Family dinner with Coop, but do you want to come over after, I think I’ll need a pick me up.

He sent a text back quickly:

With Rory, might eat dinner with him, but text me when yours is over and I’ll come over. ;)

“So what do you want to do?”

They wound up going to Breadstix and Kurt made sure to keep the conversation light. Mostly they talked about how crazy things had gotten since Cooper came to visit.

“He’s more mellowed out in the future,” Rory assured him, “still really childish though. I hadn’t seen him in a while in the future. You were mad at him because…I don’t remember why exactly.”

Afterwards, they just went out for a walk and Kurt enjoyed the simplicity of just walking through Lima with his son even if no one else around them knew what they were. To everyone else they were just two boys.

When Blaine texted that dinner was over and that he better come over because he wasn’t going to be able to keep himself from killing Cooper, Kurt drove Rory home.

“You’re definitely coming tomorrow?”

“Yeah, totally,” Rory said, “it sounds like fun.”

Kurt got to Blaine’s house ten minutes later. Blaine was outside waiting for him and he flew into Kurt’s arms.

“I just don’t get it,” he mumbled without preamble, “they just hold us at such a double standard. If I mention going to school to study musical theater or music it’s like they can’t wait to shoot me down and tell me I’ll fail but they’re perfectly fine with Cooper not finishing school at all and just deluding himself that he is a good actor.”

Kurt rubbed at his back.

“I don’t know what to do anymore…I shouldn’t even care.”

They went up to Blaine’s room after that and Kurt put music on because it was sure to calm Blaine down a little bit. It was while he was trying to find a good song to start off with that he spotted a very ripped up sweater.

“Blaine, what happened to that sweater?”

Blaine who had dropped onto his stomach on the bed tilted his head to look. “Oh. Mojo did.”

Kurt hadn’t had to really interact with the dog much yet with all the time that they spent at his house instead of Blaine’s and he’d been happy when Blaine whined that Mojo was as obsessed with Cooper as anyone else.

“I hope you’ve kept him from other articles of clothing.”

Blaine nodded. “That is the one and only he’s destroyed. It’s his now and I got him some toys so…”

The door to the bedroom was pushed open and as if he had heard them talking about him, Mojo walked in and he made a beeline to Kurt.

“Oh,” Kurt said, “hello.” He bent down to pet the dog’s head, but Mojo had other ideas, throwing his paws up on Kurt’s knee and rubbing his head against Kurt’s arm, his nose moving from side to side as he sniffed him.

Kurt pet him a little longer, but then she stood up again. He pressed play on the ihome and walked to sit next to Blaine who had closed his eyes and had turned to his back. Kurt laid himself next to Blaine and turned a little so he could watch his boyfriend. He was just leaning in to kiss him, when Mojo jumped on the bed landing atop Kurt. Mojo excitedly wagged his tail and climbed up Kurt. Kurt tried to push him off but the dog only landed on Blaine who laughed.

“Aww, he likes you. He’s totally taking after me.”

Kurt had to get up from the bed before the dog tried to lick him or get even more fur on his clothes. He was definitely going to need to stop for a lint roller on the way home.

 

But Mojo just jumped off the bed and came after him, lifting his front legs to Kurt’s leg and Kurt could already imagine the paw prints that he might get on his clothes. Why didn’t dogs wear shoes?

Blaine was on the bed laughing as Kurt moved back and shook his finger at Mojo.

“It’s not that I don’t like you. You just have to get an appreciation for designer clothes, dog, the kind of appreciation that means you stay away from them. Off. Off.”

Blaine was giggling. Mojo thought it was all a game and kept following Kurt until Kurt was back on the bed. He took a leap and was up with him.

“Just pet him for a bit,” Blaine said, “I think he knows I like you and is expressing how much he likes you too.

Mojo climbed onto his lap. Kurt could admit that he was cute, but he could already see his fur on his pants. He might have to dry clean them.

his was how Cooper found them. Only Kurt saw him standing outside Blaine’s room looking in through the crack Mojo had left when he entered the room.

“Okay, pup, that’s enough. Off the bed.”

He picked the dog up and dropped him back down on the floor. Mojo seemed to have noticed Cooper, because he went to the door to sniff.

“Come here,” Blaine said

Kurt smiled a little and moved closer to where Blaine was still lying. Cooper was still watching. Kurt caught his eye. Blaine’s older brother smiled tightly and walked away. Maybe there could still be a way to salvage that relationship.

He and Blaine just hung out for a while longer until Kurt told him it was time he head home.

“My dad may be in Washington right now, but I still have a curfew to make and senior ditch day tomorrow. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Blaine shook his head. “I’ll just bring everyone down. Have fun with Rory though.”

Mojo had come back, but he was distracted with the sweater that was progressively getting more and more ripped up.

Kurt sighed. “Alright.” 

He got up from the bed and was in the process of putting on his shoes again when his eyes widened. Mojo had gotten his scarf. He was lying directly on top of it.

“Blaine your dog…”

“Oh, Kurt, I’m so sorry.”

Blaine got up and he was the one to get the scarf away from his dog. It wasn’t in the same state of his sweater.

“I think he was just lying on it,” he said.

Kurt extended out his hand and Blaine dropped the scarf. It didn’t look any different, except that it smelled faintly of dog and there was a lot of fur on it. Kurt draped it over his arm.

“You’re paying for the dry cleaning,” he informed Blaine and then leaned in to kiss him, “and you’re keeping him away from me next time.”

Blaine just nodded.

When he was just getting to the door, Cooper appeared.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” Kurt said and he dropped his hand from the door. “So, we haven’t really gotten to talk,” Kurt said, “with all your fans around.”

Cooper nodded. “Did you want…”

“No,” Kurt said, “I’m not going to ask for an autograph or a picture or any of that because as cool as it is to know someone that’s been on T.V., it’s not as cool when you find out that that person is horrible to their brother. I think he was really excited when you told him you were visiting, but you’ve made him feel horrible about himself and you’ve made this entire visit about yourself. Now, I can’t say I know anything about your relationship with him – he doesn’t really talk about you – but I think you could both benefit from talking about it.”

\- - -

Rory had fun running around after his dad at six flags. They had gone to a few amusement parks in the future and his dads had always sort of embarrassed him in their exuberance, but he had more fun with a Kurt that was his age. 

After they were all done with the rides they walked around the booths with all the silly rigged games. Rachel had dragged Finn to one and he was seated holding the water squirting gun pointed at a round target. A couple of other seats were taken. He and Kurt stopped to watch and were surprised when Finn was actually successful. It was then that they noticed that this wasn't the first stuffed animal Finn had won. Rachel was already holding about ten. 

"I wish Blaine had come," Kurt said, "but he's feeling weird about Cooper."

"He is always feeling weird about uncle Coop," Rory said and it was true.

Even though Blaine and Cooper got along in the future, they still fought a lot over everything. Rory remembered a particularly bad one where his papa had actually kicked Cooper out and hadn't even let him get all his things together from the guest room. He and his dad had had to sneak them out to him later and it had been almost a month before the brothers apologized. They would always have a slightly rocky relationship but mostly because despite maturing some, Uncle Coop would always be a bit self centered. 

They left the amusement park late and ready to just collapse. Between Kurt and Tina they had all gotten there a little crammed and now they had to also deal with Rachel's stuffed animals. 

It was while they were getting situated in the car that Rory spotter her. Margaret Thatcher dog. His stuffed animal – the one he still had in his room at home. But no, this couldn't be the same one. Somehow it had drifted to the front of the car. He picked it up gingerly.

"Ooo, hide that," Kurt said, "I'm stealing it for Blaine. Rachel can't see I took it."

"Her," Rory said and just grinned.

"What was that?"

Rory shook his head. "Nothing."

For the rest of the ride home he just stared at Margaret with her big beady eyes and sewn on smile. Oh the adventures they would have together. 

The next day they were back at school and his papa did look a little down. 

"Hey," he said, "did you have fun yesterday?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I did. How are you?"

Blaine just shrugged. "I thought this time it might be different with him...I guess not."

Rory watched him walk away and sighed.

“He’s not a happy camper,” Sugar said and quirked an eyebrow and as they were walking to class they promptly ran into Cooper Anderson.

Uncle Coop was looking around frantically and then he spotted them. “You two!” he yelled and pointed at them.

“Seriously,” Rory muttered, not actually believing that Cooper did go around yelling and pointing at people, and then, “yes?”

“Have you seen my brother?”

“He’s in class,” Sugar said.

Cooper nodded, “Right. Right. I guess I’ll go wait for the bell to ring.”

After class they saw Cooper talking to Kurt and approached.

“He’s pretty mad at you, but he’ll probably be happy you’re still around. In fact, why don’t you go wait for him in the auditorium and I’ll send him your way.”

Cooper nodded and smiled at them before he was off, stopping to take a picture with a girl every once in a while or sign an autograph. Rory was surprised that there were still a few kids in the school that hadn’t gotten the signed headshots he tended to hand out.

“Now,” Kurt said, “to find Blaine and all of this will be over.” He reached into his bag and brought out Margaret Thatcher dog.

A part of Rory wanted to just snatch it out of his hand and cuddle it like he did at home when he was feeling down. In the future Margaret Thatcher dog was worn and had a new sewn on eye, it had rips had had been sewn back together and a couple of stains that had just never come off, but she was cherished. And this was where it had all begun.

“You’re really fixated on this toy,” Kurt said, tilting his head.

“She’s mine,” Rory said before he could stop himself, “in the future she’s mine, had her since I was born.”

“Oh,” Kurt said, “then, I guess I’ll tell Blaine to take care of, of her.”

Rory nodded.

“Does she have a name?” Kurt shook the stuffed dog in front of him

“Margaret,” Rory said and frowned.

“Like the Iron Lady? Margaret Thatcher?” Kurt looked at the dog and smiled a little, “you do look like a Margaret Thatcher. A Margaret Thatcher dog.” He giggled, “Oh, look, there’s Blaine.”

Rory stood there stunned for a moment and then he just smiled unable to believe that his dad hadn’t already had the name in mind because it was from him that he’d taken it in the future – they had never let him name her anything else. The next time Rory saw his papa, he was with Cooper and they were smiling and talking excitedly as they walked down the hall. Rory grinned, now that was how his papa and uncle behaved around each other after they resolved their fights.


	20. The Last Part

Kurt thought it was kind of crazy, but he went along with it and stood behind the camera while Cooper prepared himself. Blaine was still in his sweats from some sort of dance practice he was having with Mike and Brittany, but he didn’t look a bit tired. Instead, he was kind of excitedly jumping around. He reminded Kurt of Blaine’s dog.

They actually didn’t take too long to get the video done, and Kurt was glad to see the brothers actually getting along. Cooper was still a bit ridiculous and he was slowly getting over his good looks, though mostly because past that, there really wasn’t a whole lot there. Plus, Cooper had insulted his wardrobe choices and that still stung so, Kurt was ready to just take him on as a brother-in-law when the time came. Every time he looked at Blaine though, he was reminded that they weren’t going to have the forever they had always imagined.

Cooper was collapsed on the ground kind of wriggling around and Kurt tried not to laugh because he didn’t want the camera to catch any of it. Cooper twitched and then lay still for a while. Kurt watched Blaine walk over and nudge him with his foot, only for Cooper to grab his legs and bring him down with him with a loud thump.

“Ow!”

“Sorry!”

Blaine laughed and then the brothers were rolling around on the floor. Kurt couldn’t deny that they made a very nice picture. He kept the camera focused on them. When they got tired the two of them just lay on the floor. Kurt turned off the camera and turned to the two boys.

“Lunch?” he asked.

“Uh, sure,” Cooper said, “but a quick one and nothing fattening. I have to keep my figure, you know.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and nodded. Blaine dusted himself off.

“I’m going to get changed,” he told them, “but yeah, sure.”

“I’m glad the two of you are talking again,” Kurt said once Blaine had left, “I think he needed that.”

Cooper nodded. “Should I give you the big brother talk or something?” Cooper asked, “I don’t think anyone else has…”

“The Warblers covered it when we first started dating,” Kurt said, stopping him.

Cooper looked uncomfortable, but then he nodded and added, “Just don’t hurt him.”

Kurt’s phone rang before he could respond.

“Go ahead,” Cooper said and waved his hand. He walked towards the camera and Kurt heard it turn on.

“Hello?” he said into the phone.

“Hey, dad,” Rory said, “Sugar and I are with Britt and Santana and it’s practically finished. There’s a couple of more parts that are needed and Sugar actually knows a little bit about this because she was always going with her mom to get things. Anyway, I don’t know what it is exactly, but Sugar remembers what it looks like. Brittany’s going to get one of them later this week, but we looked it up and the other one is only sold in two places. In California and New York.”

Kurt didn’t know what to say. He was happy that the machine was being worked on, and he wanted Rory to be able to go home, but he was worried about what Rory would find in the future, and worried that it had been changed completely or that he wouldn’t find Blaine there.

“Who’s going to get the part?” He asked.

“Sugar insists she can go on her own,” Rory said, “so I’m thinking of going with her.”

“What if someone else goes? Blaine or I could—”

“No,” Rory said, “Sugar and I can. New York isn’t that far. We’ll take a train and we’ll be really careful. We won’t leave until tomorrow or the day after.”

He and Blaine had agreed not to tell Rory about the chaos theory and what it might all entail, but he was starting to think that maybe he should follow Santana’s advice and talk to Rory about everything. After all, if they went to New York, what were the chances that they could go and mess a whole bunch of other things. Somehow, he knew that Rory was going to be stubborn about it and not listen.

“Anyway,” Rory said, “I figured I’d fill you guys in. How’s Uncle Coop?”

“Good. He and Blaine are getting along. It’s kind of too bad he’s leaving later today.”

Rory kept him on the phone a while longer, long enough for Blaine to return fully dressed and for Cooper to have watched his audition tape a couple of times.

“This is brilliant,” he said when Kurt got off the phone, “thank you, both of you.”

They went out to eat and Kurt could admit to being a little charmed by the English accent that Cooper pulled out for their waiter. Blaine just rolled his eyes.

“So what time’s your flight again?” Blaine asked halfway through the meal.

“You’re very eager to get rid of me,” Cooper said, “I have two more hours to hang out with you too. Actually one, I should get back home to say goodbye to mom and dad.”

Although the whole Transformers thing wasn’t going to work out, Cooper did have another commercial lined up. It was something for a shampoo commercial for a brand that Kurt had never heard of. He was excited for Cooper anyway. Hollywood was a hard place to be and harder still if there was a delusion as to one’s abilities.

Kurt waited until after they dropped Cooper back off at Blaine’s house and were back at his own to tell him about the developments with Rory. Since being able to talk to Santana about the whole issue with Blaine, it had gotten just a little bit easier to talk to Blaine about anything Rory related, but there was still this feeling right in the pit of his stomach that refused to disappear. It made him stiff and nervous and shaky all at once and nothing he did could extinguish it.

“So, it’s almost complete then,” Blaine said, “just two more parts. Wow.”

“Yeah. I’m just a little worried about the changes they may have made…the changes that could still be made…”

They had been sitting back against the headboard on Kurt’s bed, sides pressed together, but Blaine was suddenly hauling Kurt into him so that Kurt was rested against him instead of his pillows. Blaine felt nicer under him anyway.

“I was thinking about all of this,” Blaine said, “and I think we have to stop worrying about it. If they changed something, then they changed something. For us the future will be whatever we make it and I know that nothing will keep me from getting married to you and having Rory, so maybe this is just a way of telling us that not everything is set in stone. That anything could happen and it’s our choices making it happen. We’ll deal with the future as it comes and maybe it won’t be an exact replica of what Rory came from, but who’s to say that isn’t better?”

Kurt wanted to cry. He couldn’t speak. How could Blaine just say the one thing that Kurt was hoping for most in the world and that any change Rory made would be to save Blaine in the future. He buried his face in the crook of Blaine’s neck and placed a kiss on the skin in front of him. Blaine hummed. Kurt smiled against his neck and just sighed. Could everything turn out for the better?

\- - -

Rory hugged his dad. “We’ll be okay,” he said as he was pulling back, “I’ve lived in—”

Kurt stared at him. “New York,” he said, “we live in New York.”

Rory opened his mouth and shook his head. “Cannot confirm or deny.” He couldn’t believe he’d so easily let that out even though it really wasn’t that big of a detail considering that it was his dad’s dream to be in New York.

Kurt just grinned. “Well, it’s different now I’d think so take care of yourself and Sugar. Getting that part is important, but not as important as the two of you. Alright?”

The time machine was ready to be completed. So, ready that Rory could already see himself back at home. He was still worried about his papa and the very big possibility that Rory wouldn’t be able to save him, but for the moment he had to focus on getting the part. Sugar who was waiting a little farther down on the platform had told him to stop thinking about it, but there was no way he could.

“We’ll be fine,” Rory assured him again, “I’ll call when we get there and text updates.”

They were going to take a train. Sugar had figured everything out and this was the fastest way other than taking a plane and they definitely couldn’t do that when they technically hadn’t been born yet.

“We should actually get on,” Rory said.

“Right,” Kurt nodded, “be careful.”

He approached Sugar and she turned to wave at Kurt before they headed towards the train. They managed to find good seats and both leaned towards the window to wave at Kurt. It was another ten minutes before they were on their way and his dad stood there with a conflicted look on his face.

Rory didn’t know what to think about his dad’s behavior lately. He and Santana kept talking to each other and whatever it was that they were discussing wasn’t something they seemed to want to share with everyone else and that included both Rory and Blaine.

“What do you think they’re hiding?” Rory asked.

Sugar shrugged. “I still don’t think it’s anything important,” she said, “but you know, I can’t help but think back to how I came here.”

“What about it?”

Sugar sunk back into her seat. “Well, they sent me. Mami and your dad sent me and told me not to talk to you. Specifically knew how to sent me so I would be here weeks before you and with the instruction to watch you and not interfere in anything. And I know we sort of went against that when you approached me and everything, but you know, I did stay away for a while.”

Rory hadn’t thought about that since Sugar had first told him when he’d decided he needed to talk to her all those months back, and now he didn’t know what it meant, because how could they let him come back if they knew it was going to happen, and how could they let his papa die. But maybe they didn’t know that. Rory had only told his grandpa. Maybe he had to tell his dad too and they could stop it.

The thought had crossed his mind before and he’d decided it was too much of a burden to drop on them, but maybe it really wasn’t.

“So you think they let me go on purpose,” Rory said, “and then they sent you also on purpose.”

Sugar nodded. “If they remembered everything we’re doing now, and seeing as your parents know. Well, maybe we were meant to come back here.”

“To save my papa,” Rory said.

Sugar just shrugged. After that she took out her phone and sat back on her seat giggling every once in a while when she received a text.

“We picked the very best week to miss school,” Sugar said a half hour into their trip, “they’re doing disco. Everyone except for Blaine and Mike are miserable.”

Of course his papa was into it. He shook his head.

“Figures.”

Sugar kept texting and Rory just pressed his face against the window, staring out at the trees and bushes they passed. It was an eighteen hour trip and he wished he had at least picked out a book or something else to entertain him because Sugar was definitely not going to.

-

The whole disco week thing turned out to be about the future. The future of Santana, Mercedes, and Finn to be more specific and Blaine didn’t think it was a good lesson at all, but after his first few weeks at McKinley he’d stopped questioning how the teachers there handled their students and classrooms.

“I can’t believe you helped bring this along,” Kurt said after they left the choir room, “or that you didn’t come see Rory off this morning because you were practicing for your little number earlier.”

Blaine just rolled his eyes. “I know you liked it.”

Kurt shook his head, but he was smiling. “The dance moves. Fine. Do you want to know what happened to me today?”

“What?”

They walked to Kurt’s locker. “I was talking to Mercedes earlier when this guy came strutting towards us. And I have to tell you this because for about two minutes I was pretty convinced that he was from the future and Mercedes was his mom. This whole time-travel being possible thing is going to make me wonder about everyone.”

Blaine couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Kurt.”

Blaine listened as Kurt kept talking about Wade and all the issues that he’d come to see him and Mercedes about.

“Anyway,” Kurt said, “he was a nice kid. I kind of feel bad for leaving him with Jesse and Vocal Adrenaline.”

They left the school in their separate cars because Blaine had gotten there much earlier than Kurt to practice for his number and Kurt had had to drop off Sugar and Rory to catch their train into New York. They had left pretty early, but Kurt had still had to skip his first class and had just managed to make it to watch Blaine perform with Brittany and Mike.

That afternoon he hung out with Kurt and for once they didn’t talk about the whole time travel thing. Instead, Kurt brought up NYADA and it was the first time since he’d become a finalist that he was bringing it up.

“I’ve been so focused on Rory and everything that I haven’t even thought about my audition piece,” he said, “and I know we don’t even know when it’s going to be, but I should have been preparing. Rachel probably is.”

Blaine was excited and happy that Kurt might get into the school of his dreams, but it was a bit bittersweet when he thought about Kurt being in New York and him stuck in Lima for another year. He was going to miss him like crazy and Blaine had stopped himself from really thinking about being apart from him and had been so preoccupied with other things that he hadn’t thought about how much it was going to hurt to not be able to see him every day. But it was going to work out. He and Kurt would get married and they were going to have Rory. Blaine tried not to think about the fact that technically this future wasn’t a sure thing.

Blaine didn’t hear about Rory until the next day when Kurt told him he’d called and that they were fine.

“He’s been texting, but not too often. They’re trying to find the place and checked into a hotel and they won’t be back for a few more days.”

There was a lot of talk of the future going on around him and Blaine couldn’t really stand it. All the seniors were all so excited to leave and in comparison, Blaine was stuck there with no way out for another year and with Kurt most likely in New York.

-

“My moms made a sex tape,” Sugar said and Rory thought for a moment that he hadn’t heard her right.

They were standing in the middle of grand central station trying to figure out where they were boarding their train home and Rory couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “What?” he asked.

Sugar nodded. “Tina just texted. Apparently it’s all over the web. My mom uploaded it for some reason. I cannot believe they would…ahhh!”

Rory would have found it hilarious if he wasn’t also a little disgusted. They were his aunts after all and thinking about their having sex made him want to bleach his brain. He knew it had to be worse for Sugar, but at least neither of her moms had asked her for advice on when to go all the way like his dad had to him and Rory still couldn’t shudder when he thought about that.

“You know, if you had asked me who out of the glee club right now would have one I really would have said Puck…but your moms come close. Why is it on the web?”

“My mom put it up,” Sugar said and groaned, “something about the week’s lesson. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m not going to be able to look at them when we get back.”

“We’ll be home soon enough,” Rory said, “just a few more weeks at the most and you can forget all about this.”

Sugar cringed. “Do you think they have others in the future? Oh god, oh god…I can’t think about this anymore. Let’s find that train.”

Sugar was quiet as they got on, and she immediately closed her eyes and claimed she was going to sleep. Rory left her to it. Instead he pulled out his own phone to update his dad.

He sent a text telling them they were on their way back and received one back almost at once with his dad letting him know that he’d pick them up even though it was going to be pretty late when they arrived.

Sugar did fall asleep eventually and that left Rory to read the book he’d picked up in an old bookstore he’d dragged Sugar into after they’d gone and bought the part from the very obscure shop in Union Square. Sugar had retaliated by dragging him into a couple of clothing stores.

Many hours later he was dozing off over the book and Sugar was waking up.

“It’s going to be years before I get over this,” she groaned at him, “years, Rory.”

When the train finally came to a stop it was very late and Rory wished he had actually let himself sleep on their way back. Instead he’d finished reading the book. They got up, stretched and gathered their things. As soon as they were out there, he spotted his dad and papa.

They had gotten out of his dad’s car and were both holding thermos that probably held coffee.

“We got it!” Rory cried when they were closer to them. He hugged each of them and then they got into the car with Sugar still bemoaning the existence of the sex tape.

“Santana’s pretty broken up about it,” Kurt told them, “I don’t think she intended it to go online, but Brittany only thought she was helping. It’s been a weird week.”

-

“She was fantastic,” Kurt told Blaine.

“Yeah? And no one said anything about how she was dressed?”

Kurt shook his head. “Obviously Unique’s teammates knew and Jesse was throwing a fit, but no one in the audience realized that she wasn’t a girl. I’m a little worried about Nationals. She was kind of amazing so Jesse’s definitely going to use that to their advantage.”

Kurt parked in his usual spot and the two of them got out. They hadn’t gotten that much sleep the night before with having to go pick up Sugar and Rory around four in the morning, but Kurt had promised that he would be in school to see Finn’s performance.

Rory and Sugar on the other hand were taking another day out of school to rest up after their trip. They were going to try and work on the time machine later that day though and Kurt was a little worried about everything again, especially now that they literally only had this last part to add to it. Brittany had already gotten the other part and had even gone and added it in. It didn’t help that Kurt still had no idea how he was going to prevent Blaine’s death.

By the time school was over, Kurt was ready to crawl back into his bed and just fall into deep slumber, so he let Blaine drive his car because for some reason he was far more awake.

“I told Rory we’d meet later,” Kurt told him, “can we just go sleep at my house?”

Blaine nodded. “Sure. I’m tired too.”

They both climbed right into Kurt’s bed when they got to his house and promptly fell asleep. Kurt woke up a few hours later, still tired, when his phone started to ring. It was Rachel.

“Kurt,” she said, “I just got an e-mail from NYADA. Have you checked? You probably got one too. They’ve scheduled our auditions. Oh my god, this is all really real, isn’t it? Have you picked a song? I was thinking about just doing—”

Kurt stopped listening. How much time did he have to prepare? Why hadn’t he been working on this already? This was all he wanted, he had to get into that school.

“—we’re going to have to practice, practice, practice. I’m so excited! Kurt, can you believe it? Do you have anything going on today? We can start picking out a song for you to sing and give each other pointers.”

Blaine hadn’t woken up when the phone rang, but he did when Kurt shifted out of his arms to sit up properly.

“What?” He asked drowsily, “Kurt? Come back.”

“Busy today, Rachel, but we can talk about it soon, alright?”

“Oh, of course,” Rachel said, “I’m just so excited. Can you believe this is actually happening?”

“Sort of. I’ll talk to you later.”

He hung up on her before she could go on for much longer and turned to Blaine who was blinking awake and staring up at him. His hair had gotten a bit messy from their nap and in his crumpled clothes because apparently they had both been too tired to even bother changing, he looked absolutely adorable.

“Was that Rory?”

Kurt shook his head. “Rachel. NYADA set a date for our auditions. I don’t even want to look at the e-mail yet, but I guess they have to be somewhat soon. I haven’t even picked a song but…”

“But you’ll be fine,” Blaine finished and then proceeded to pull him down so he was lying down on the bed again.

They faced each other, foreheads touching.

The phone chose that moment to ring again.

Kurt grabbed it on the third ring. This time it was Rory.

“Hey,” he said.

“I know we were going to wait to work on it later, but Sugar and I couldn’t wait and Brittany was inspired. Anyway, I just figured you’d want to know. It’s…it’s finished. We think it works. I mean, we turned it on so it must work. I think maybe I’m going home.”


	21. See You Later

It didn’t work. Rory was right in that it turned on and all the parts were there, but it still needed something. Kurt for his part thought it was wrong that he felt some sort of relief that it wasn’t working. They were back in Brittany’s basement and the blond cheerleader was sitting by the machine with earmuffs placed over her ears as she worked with a bunch of wires. 

Sugar sat about halfway up the stairs. Her eyes were closed and Kurt could practically feel her disappointment from where he stood with Rory. 

“I’m sorry it’s not working yet,” Kurt said, “but it’s probably something very small and Brittany will have it ready for you soon.”

Rory nodded. “She is the genius. Where’s Blaine?”

Kurt actually had no idea. After he told Blaine that the machine was ready, he’d gotten a little weird. That night they had all looked over the machine and Sugar had tried to get it to work, but it just didn’t do much more than make a weird whistling noise that Rory said had never come from it before. That day after school when they were headed back to work on it – really offer moral support because only Brittany and maybe Rory and Sugar could actually help – Blaine had begged off with something that sounded like a mumbled excuse. 

“I don’t know. He said he was busy. I don’t think he thought he would be much help. Do you want something to drink? I’m going to get a glass of water.”

“No thanks.”

Kurt headed upstairs not because he was thirsty but because he wanted to do something other than watch Brittany work. She’d told them all to stay away and that she knew exactly what was wrong. He placed a hand on Sugar’s shoulder on his way up and she tried to smile back at him. 

“Are you going to ask him,” Santana said and Kurt jumped. He’d forgotten she had gone to the kitchen earlier. 

“Should I?” Kurt asked, “I just – I don’t know…I mean, I’m pretty sure Rory is aiming at going to fix it as soon as he can get on that machine and maybe he does. So maybe there’s nothing for me to worry about.”

Santana shook her head. “And what if he doesn’t fix it? Sugar told me how it works, you know, and she said it’s really erratic. There’s a reason it’s not out for anyone to use other than the dangers it would pose – she said it’s uncontrollable. I don’t think Rory’s going to be the way to resolve this. I just think we have to be prepared for him to fail. The last time he tried going to that point in time to fix that, he came here.”

Kurt had thought about Rory not being able to save Blaine countless times, and in every scenario he could see not Blaine’s prone dead body – though that was giving him nightmares too – but Rory’s broken up face, his disappointment and the realization that he wouldn’t have two parents anymore. 

“Okay, fine,” Kurt said, “I’ll talk to him.”

There was a shout from downstairs and they both looked at each other and then took the stairs as quickly as they could. 

“She did it!” Sugar. She and Rory were hugging and jumping up and down in the middle of the room, “we get to go home!” 

“Now,” Santana said, “go talk to him now.” 

“But he’s so…”

Santana nudged him. “Either you do it or I do it.” 

Rory and Sugar were still jumping around the room and Kurt had never seen Sugar so jubilant before, not even at the Valentine’s Day party that she’d thrown. 

“Just give them this moment,” Kurt said, “I’ll talk to him before they leave.”

After they had calmed down, they all went to look at the machine. There were a lot of lights and buttons. It had a circular platform and a bunch of buttons that had no labels or any sort of sense to them. There was nothing to input a date, or anything else that might suggest it was a time travel machine. Instead, it looked like a complicated entertainment device. 

“Doesn’t look like much, does it?”

Kurt nodded at Santana. 

Sugar had calmed down some, and she approached it carefully, looking at every part of it. “Looks just like the one back home,” she said and then, “if it works like the one at home, then that means there will have to be a few days between the two of us going.”

“What do you mean?” Kurt asked. 

“Well,” Sugar said, “even though it uses electricity to power up, the stuff that makes it take you through space requires charging after every trip. So, one of us is going to be here for at least three more days. Maybe more.”

It seemed to be news to Rory as well. “And we can’t leave together?” He asked. 

Sugar shook her head and then smirked at them, “since I got here first, I’m going home first.”

“You left after me, though,” Rory protested. 

But Sugar was closer to the machine and she stepped right onto the round platform. “You just have to think of home,” she told Rory, “think of home and your dad. I’ll see you soon.”

She pressed one of the buttons and then in a small flash of light she was gone and just as she had said when they tried to turn the machine on, it didn’t turn on. Rory would be with them for a few more days. 

“It’s like she knew you needed the time,” Santana said, “now get on with it.”

Kurt turned to look at Rory. He was staring at the machine with such longing in his eyes that Kurt knew wasn’t for the machine itself but for the future and for not only the older Kurt, but the older Blaine.

“Hey,” he said, “come here, Rors.”

“She never told me,” Rory said, “I would have beat her to it if I knew.”

Kurt shook his head. “No, you wouldn’t have. But come on, what’s waiting a few more days?”

“I just – I want to be with…I guess with you and, and papa.”

Kurt tugged Rory into a half hug. He walked with him to the stairs and then up to the kitchen. 

“I need to talk to you about that,” he said and did not look at Rory when he continued with, “I know your papa – Blaine – I know he dies.”

Rory burst into tears and he turned so he could properly hug Kurt, his arms winding around his torso and burying his head right into Kurt’s neck. Kurt rubbed circles on his back.

\- - -

Blaine hadn’t really thought about what it would mean for him next school year when he was still at McKinley – a school he had transferred to, to be with Kurt – while Kurt was no longer with him. There had been so much going on what with his son from the future appearing out of nowhere as well as all the drama that glee club couldn’t exist without, and it was also very possible that Blaine hadn’t actually wanted to think about it. 

Kurt would be in a different state, making new friends, and living in the city of his dreams. He would thrive in New York and Blaine just wouldn’t be enough for him. It was stupid. Blaine knew it was stupid to think that Kurt would just forget about him or drop him because he found something or someone better, but those were his fears and as soon as Kurt mentioned that NYADA was sending someone to see him audition for the school, well, they all rushed in. 

His mom and even Cooper had mentioned in passing that Blaine was a little too attached to Kurt.

“You’re with him all the time, and if not that, then you’re on the phone with him or texting him,” Cooper had said, “and I still can’t believe you transferred schools to be with him. Or that mom and dad let you.”

It had been hard to get his parents on board, but his dad had been glad to not have to pay for Dalton anymore and Blaine knew he’d been hoping that if he were around more girls that he might change his mind about being gay. His mom had been the one to realize it was about Kurt, but by that point, they couldn’t really change much about it.

His phone rang and he reached for it, automatically smiling a little when he saw it was Kurt. Blaine felt bad about not going with him to Brittany’s to keep working on the time machine, but Blaine was only preparing himself for a time when he and Kurt couldn’t do everything together. 

“Guess what I just got to witness,” Kurt said before Blaine could even say hello.

“What?” 

“Time travel. Well, Sugar leaving.” 

Blaine froze. Had he missed so much? It was only one afternoon and Kurt had been pretty sure that the machine wouldn’t be complete. Was Rory even still in their time?

“It’s working, then?” he asked. 

“Yeah. Rory’s still with us for a few more days, but he’ll be heading home soon and all will hopefully be right with the world.” 

Rory’s very presence should have been enough proof for Blaine that he had nothing to worry about. Rory came from a future where he and Kurt were happily married. There was no need to worry about the next year, because they obviously got through it somehow and made it out the other end to a future with an amazing son. But they still had to get through that year and Blaine needed to know he would be able to be apart from Kurt because he was going to have to be apart from him. 

“Oh. I guess I’ll be able to say goodbye to him, then.”

“Yeah,” Kurt said, “anyway are you busy?”

“Sorta,” he said.

Blaine hated lying to Kurt, but it would be practice. When Kurt went to New York there would be months between seeing each other. Blaine had to get used to not seeing him every day outside of school and Kurt had to get used to it too even though Kurt didn’t seem to be thinking about that at all. Instead he was excited about moving and going off to NYADA. 

“Oh,” Kurt said, “I just left Rory and I thought we could do something…you know, we haven’t really…”

Blaine cut him off. “I’m a little busy, Kurt, I’ll talk to you later.”

He hung up and then dropped back on his bed. Mojo had been lying on it watching him and he climbed on top of him. His nails had been clipped and filed recently, but they still dug into him. The dog sat back and stared at him in a reprimanding manner that Blaine had never though dogs were possible of doing. It was like he was telling Blaine off for lying to Kurt.

“It’s for the best,” Blaine said and he tried to make himself believe it because Mojo definitely didn’t.

\- - -

Rory felt sick. His stomach was churning and all the blankets that he’d cocooned himself in weren’t enough to keep him warm. He was pretty sure that the only part of him that could be seen was his eyes and forehead. 

“Rory, sweetie, it’s time for school.”

Mrs. Pierce knocked on his door.

Rory just groaned. 

She knocked a couple of more times before she announced that she was coming in. Mrs. Pierce had been wonderful his entire stay. 

“Oh, are you sick?”

Rory groaned and coughed. 

“Well that was unexpected, you were fine yesterday.”

Rory had been fine the day before except for when his dad told him that he knew all about papa’s death in the future and that he needed Rory to tell him everything. But before that he’d been perfectly fine. He’d been jumping around the room with Sugar after the machine was fixed, and he sure hadn’t been feeling sick at all. 

“Well, you are definitely staying home,” Mrs. Pierce said, “I’m going to get you some medicine and then we’re going to take your temperature.”

The last time Rory got sick was back in the future some four months before his papa’s death. They’d actually been in New York in the apartment they kept there for when either of his parents needed to be in the city for very long periods of time. It had been just Rory and his dad because his papa was in California doing something Rory couldn’t remember. 

Rory had woken up coughing up a storm and without a voice. His dad had been rushing around getting ready to go for a very important meeting at Vogue, but he’d dropped everything the moment he realized that Rory was sick. 

Instead, he’d called a bunch of different people and then afterwards brought Rory breakfast in bed. His dad had made him a delicious tea, given him medicine, and then climbed right into bed with him and put on a movie. Rory didn’t remember what they watched, but only that his head had been pillowed by his dad’s chest and that there had been a hand brushing hair off his face or rubbing his back and occasionally helping him take a drink of water or orange juice and that his dad had been ready with as many tissues as Rory would need and that he hadn’t left his side all day unless it was necessary. He’d even ignored phone calls except for a few from his papa. 

The thermometer was uncomfortable under his tongue, but Rory waited it out until it started to ping. Mrs. Pierce didn’t let him see the temperature, but she shook her head and gave him more medicine. She left water, toast, and apple slices on his bedside table and told him to call her if he needed her but that she had to go to work. 

Rory had nodded and drifted back into sleep. The next time he woke up his papa was there. Rory almost cried. 

“Hey,” Blaine said, “Brittany told me you were sick.” 

Rory was still under his pile of blankets and they were still drawn up to his nose, but he shuffled up. His papa came to his side and helped him sit. 

“How are you?”

Rory coughed and Blaine grabbed one of the water bottles that Mrs. Pierce had left. He uncapped it and handed it to Rory who gratefully gulped some of the liquid down. He cleared his throat afterwards. 

“Thanks,” he said. His voice was a little hoarse, but mostly he sounded stuffed up. 

“So, I thought since you’re leaving soon that I would stop by and we can watch a movie or something. I also figured I should check up on you. Being sick isn’t very fun.”

Rory felt his heart warm up at the scrunched up face that his papa made. One of his eyebrows looked particularly triangular. He tried to laugh, but instead what came out was a cough. 

“Have you had anything to eat?” Blaine asked.

He hadn’t. Even though Mrs. Pierce had left him toast, Rory had been too tired to do much more than fall back asleep and he was sure the medicine he’d been given had helped in that respect. 

“Not really.”

“Okay,” Blaine said, “well, I’m going to see what I can find downstairs. I brought my laptop so you can find something to watch on Netflix while I do that.”

Rory nodded. 

Blaine went about signing into his computer and then he set down on Rory’s lap. Before he left, he ruffled Rory’s hair and gave him a warm smile. Rory didn’t think to ask about Kurt, because he was so happy that it was his papa there with him and Blaine was warm and affectionate and Rory couldn’t get enough.

Rory read through a few summaries and looked at a bunch of different movie and tv-show posters that were available for streaming. He hadn't really tried to delve into that aspect of the past.

Blaine returned with a tray. There was a bowl of soup, a plate with crackers, and an orange that had yet to be pealed. Blaine had also brought a glass of milk and a small box of cheerios.

"I'm not too sure what you like, but definitely can't go wrong with soup when there’s a cold involved. Or fruit. And I guess cereal is something everyone likes.” He looked a little unsure. “Did you pick anything?"

"Soup sounds good," Rory said, "and I really didn't know what to pick."

Rory moved himself over to make room for Blaine and left the laptop aside so he could take the tray. Blaine gingerly handed it to him and then sat down.

"I'm going to find my favorite non-musical movie. Actually I think I have it in my digital library from the slushy incident. You don’t know how much I watched those two or so weeks."

Rory nodded eagerly. In the future, he had been an avid movie watcher, but not of older things except for a few that his dads had made him watch. He wondered if this was one of them. But it couldn’t be. Mostly everything that his parents had made him watch in the future was either animated or a musical.

"The Princess Bride," his papa said, "classic love story. It has everything a sick boy needs."

Rory had never seen it before. He grinned and settled back into the pillows. 

\- - -

Kurt was tempted to grab his phone even though he was driving. This was the fourth time it had vibrated since he left Between The Sheets, and Kurt was hoping that it was Blaine. He ignored it as it went off again and kept driving. He would be home soon. After he parked the car, the first thing he did was check his phone. There was no text from Blaine, but Chandler had sent him all of five texts. 

The first one said “Hi”, and the next one was about how glad he was to have met Kurt earlier, the third was a smiley face, the fourth: “are you a magnet, cause I’m attracted to you”, and the last “that might have been a bit forward…”

Kurt laughed. He grabbed his bag and the new music sheets he’d bought wishing still that Blaine had come with him. 

The house was empty because Finn was still at school practicing for whatever sport was in season and Carole had a long shift that day. His dad was still in Washington. Usually, Kurt didn’t feel alone during the week. Blaine was always with him or of late Rory. He hadn’t heard from the boy that would be his son all day and he definitely hadn’t been in school. Kurt sighed and picked up his phone. 

For a moment he considered calling Blaine, but his boyfriend had told him that he was going to be busy that day. Kurt wished he had asked with what. Instead he clicked on his messages and decided he might as well answer Chandler. A part of him knew that he shouldn’t answer the boy he’d met at the music store, but Chandler had made him laugh and he was going to be in New York next year and really, what could be so wrong about making a friend that would be there other than Rachel? It was all innocent. 

He texted: “Has that line ever worked for you?”

Chandler responded at once, “well, you answered didn’t you.”

Kurt turned on the tv in the living room and changed the channel until he found a re-run of a sitcom. He left it on and turned back to his phone. 

“Funny. Well, have you ever used: If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.” 

After that they just traded pick up lines. Kurt couldn’t remember the last time he had texted someone as much or for so long, and he was so caught up laughing at Chandler’s latest offer that he forgot he was going to call Rory and try and get Blaine to help him choose between the songs he’d bought music for earlier. He didn’t stop until Carole had gotten home closely followed by Finn. Carole brought take-out and they all sat down to eat. 

“Where’s Blaine today?” Carole asked.

Kurt paused mid text. “Oh. He said he was busy.” 

He didn’t finish the text. Instead he set the phone aside and turned back to his meal. He hadn’t called Blaine. Or Rory. 

After dinner and after helping Finn with the dishes, Kurt called Blaine, but his boyfriend didn’t answer the phone, so Kurt sighed and called Rory instead. Rory also didn’t answer the phone. Could something be wrong? But no, one of them would have contacted him if something was wrong. 

Later that night someone did knock on their door. It was Santana and she just stepped right in.

“What did he tell you?” 

Kurt had tried not to think about everything he’d learned from Rory. He’d pushed until Rory told him everything and the two of them had hugged and cried for hours. 

“Everything he knows,” Kurt said and followed her up to his room. 

“Well, let’s have it, then.”

Kurt gaped at her. She had stretched herself out on his bed and Kurt never thought he would ever be able to say that he’d had a girl in his bed. At least this girl was a lesbian. 

“I don’t think I can…”

Santana sat up. “Listen, Hummel, I’m trying to help you here, and for that you have to trust Auntie Tana.”

Kurt scoffed, but he nodded. “Alright, then, it’s a car accident here in Lima. Blaine went out to get Rory supplies for a school project one afternoon and just didn’t come back. November 14, 2036.” 

“He’d be 41,” Santana breathed, “it’s old – you know, now, but then…”

Kurt nodded. “I know. Too young. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

“Did he tell you anything else?” Santana asked. 

Kurt shook his head. “I don’t think he knew where it happened exactly, just that there was an accident that day sometime after four but before five thirty.” 

Santana jumped off his bed. “Well, write it down in that girly diary you keep somewhere in this room and in 2036 we’ll stop it from happening, even if we have to lock your curly haired sweetie in a closet.”

She sauntered out of the room and Kurt didn’t follow to let her out.


	22. Back To The Future

“I’m sorry I didn’t come see you yesterday,” Kurt said, “no one actually told me you were sick. How are you?” 

Rory was still sick. He hadn’t gotten better from the day before, but not worse either. He still had a fever and it felt like something had crawled right into his throat and decided it was a good place as any to stay there. 

His dad, it turned out, was just as good at taking care of sick people in the past as he would be in the future. He made Rory his special Chicken Soup that tasted like nothing else and made him feel a whole lot better because that soup was home, and after the soup he gave Rory a spoon of honey and lemon which was both tasty and effective in telling the tenant in his throat that it was time to move on. 

“Maybe you should have gone home,” Kurt said after he’d tucked Rory back into bed, “you’re probably missing it more than ever.”

“Actually,” Rory said, “this is pretty familiar.”

Kurt’s phone had been going off the entire time that Kurt was busying himself around the room to make Rory more comfortable. His dad had actually cleaned the Pierce’s guest room and only now he went to the check his phone and proceeded to giggle. 

“Is that Blaine? He said he was going to come over.”

Kurt frowned at him. “No, it’s, um…it’s no one.” 

Rory was surprised at how his dad couldn’t look him in the eyes when he said that, but a moment later he was back at being himself and the phone had been put away. He ignored it every time it went off and Rory couldn’t help but wonder who could be sending him so many texts if it wasn’t Blaine. Of course, it could have been Santana, or Rachel, but wouldn’t his dad tell him that?

His dad gave him the last bit of medicine for his fever before he left. “I’ll bring you dinner later, but I promised Rachel we’d start looking at songs for NYADA today which is funny because I’m pretty sure she’s been preparing Don’t Rain on my Parade since she was two.”

Rory fell right into a nap after his dad left, and he was woken up by Brittany and Santana staring at him from the doorway. 

“Are you okay, Leprechaun?” 

Brittany despite having built a time machine and seen Sugar leave just a few days before still didn’t really know that he and Sugar had been from the future. Or, rather, no one was really sure if she did know. 

“Just sick, Britt,” he said and his eyes were drooping again. 

Santana led Brittany away before she could say anything else. “Get better, Hummel Spawn,” she added before closing the door and Rory didn’t even notice that it implied she knew who he was.

The next time Rory woke up, it was because all the work the honey had done earlier had been for nothing and Rory felt like all he could do was cough. Rory really hated being sick. His dad showed up ten minutes later and he was alone again which confused Rory because he’d gotten so used to seeing his dad and papa together all the time. 

“Where’s papa?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“Ah…he told me he had a family thing,” Kurt said, but he didn’t look too sure about it. 

Kurt had picked up food from Breadstix, so the two of them sat on Rory’s bed to eat mostly because Kurt wouldn’t hear of Rory wanting to get out of bed. 

“You know, I think I’m really going to miss you when you finally get to go home,” his dad said, “it’s been really nice having you here.”

“Even though now you know that papa’s going to die?” Rory asked.

Kurt nudged him with his shoulder. “Hey,” he said, “that isn’t your fault. You didn’t go making it happen and even though every time I think about it I just feel so insanely overwhelmed and ready to just stop because what even is the point if there’s this ticking time bomb to when he dies? But, then I remember that I have loads of things to look forward to. Blaine and I are going to get married. We’re going to have you. And on the day he dies, I will try my hardest to stop it and I know so will you and one of us has to succeed. And if we don’t, well, that’s life…and I will never regret any of this or what’s coming. Knowing sucks, but maybe not knowing sucks more.”

They ate in relative silence after that, and then his dad insisted on taking his temperature and giving him more medicine, this time some night stuff that was definitely going to make him drowsy. Rory thought he dreamt it, but he was sure his dad had kissed him on the forehead before he left.   
\- - -

Blaine knew that technically, having Kurt ignore him was exactly what he’d wanted, but they were in the choir room and weren’t even seated far from each other, but Kurt was completely engrossed in his phone and Blaine could only think of one person that his boyfriend might be texting: Rory. Except that when Blaine stopped to see Rory that morning before going to school, Rory accidentally took the night medicine and so Blaine knew that Rory had to be very deep in sleep. 

Still though, Blaine didn’t say anything. It was good that Kurt could easily detach himself from Blaine and Blaine really did have to get used to his boyfriend getting new friends and not being around. It was all for the better. If there was a churning in his gut and a strange mixture of sadness and anger running through him, Blaine didn’t acknowledge that it might have something to do with the entire situation that granted he had gotten himself into. 

“Today you are definitely coming home with me,” Kurt said when glee was over. He’d put his phone away and he was looking eagerly at Blaine. 

It was the expression coupled with his own need to be near Kurt that made him nod and break the promise he’d made himself earlier in the week that he wouldn’t hang out with Kurt that week. 

“We can do that marathon we were supposed to do last week, and maybe I can sing the two pieces I’ve been considering for my audition? I need someone other than Rachel to give an opinion.”

The very mention of NYADA made Blaine deflate, but he just smiled and nodded and followed Kurt out. They drove their two separate cars to Kurt’s house and went directly to Kurt’s room. 

Blaine had always felt at peace in Kurt’s room, so he took off his shoes and dropped onto the bed. Kurt in the meanwhile was putting away a few of his things and getting a bit more comfortable. 

“Set everything up and I’ll go get us a snack,” Kurt said and ran out of the room. 

Kurt’s phone vibrated on the vanity where he’d left it. Blaine ignored it. It vibrated again. Then a third time. By the fourth time, Blaine had had enough. If someone was so insistent, then it had to be important he reasoned with himself. It could very well be Rory or the machine might be fully charged again. He swiped the screen with his finger and put in the password: 1109. 

The messages app was already open and there were a bunch of texts back and forth between Kurt and someone named Chandler. But who was Chandler? At first, Blaine just stared at the name, but his eyes moved down and he read the latest text and he made a gasping choking noise and his eyes blurred. Was this what he had lead Kurt to? 

Blaine wiped at his eyes angrily. He moved back to the bed, phone clutched in his hand and he scrolled up. They were flirting, exchanging silly pick up lines and winky faces, and worst of all when the pick up lines weren’t being used, they talked about New York. Chandler who had probably never even heard Kurt sing was sending him praise and encouragement on something he’d picked out for Whiney week. 

Kurt returned smiling and holding his tray, but he stopped short when he saw Blaine and the phone in his hands. 

During their entire relationship so far, Blaine knew they had never really fought. There had been the whole incident before they got together with Rachel and bisexuality, but they’d gotten over that pretty quickly and back then it had only been their friendship on the line. A few times, they had fought about Sebastian, but none of those had really scaled mostly because Kurt hadn’t pushed the subject and also because Blaine had always made it clear how much Sebastian meant nothing to him. But Chandler meant something. 

They were both in tears by the end of it, and Blaine was fuming. He couldn’t believe that Kurt didn’t see it as cheating. He stormed out of the room and down the stairs out the door, glad that he had driven there. He sat in the car for a long time replaying their fight – Kurt so adamant that it was innocent and Blaine for once really coming to the conclusion that maybe they wouldn’t make it past the year apart once Kurt was in New York if Blaine pulling away from Kurt for a week could drive his boyfriend into someone else. 

There was a knock on his window. Blaine jumped and when he turned to look he almost expected it to be Kurt. It was Burt instead. Blaine rolled down the window.

“Hey, kid,” he said, “are you alright?” 

Burt was wearing a suit and tie which was weird but something that Blaine was slowly getting used to seeing as opposed to the plaid he usually sported. 

“Yeah…I, no. Kurt and I just had a fight.”

“I’m sure everything will be alright once you both sit down and talk about it,” Burt said. 

Blaine shook his head. It wouldn’t be okay because even if they fixed this, Kurt was still going to get into NYADA and he was going to go to New York and leave Blaine behind and they would just fall apart. 

“Blaine, I’m pretty sure you’ll both be okay. Now, maybe you should just give Kurt some space and you guys can talk about it tomorrow or something.”

Burt patted Blaine’s shoulder and then walked towards the house, but Blaine didn’t feel any better. He did turn on his car and then he pulled away from the curb. 

\- - -

Rory was still sick. He hadn’t seen either of his parents the day before and he was hoping that they would come to him again soon. He had been feeling mostly drowsy, so despite wanting to do anything else, mostly he spent his time sleeping. He’d woken up when he heard the door open and close downstairs and then footsteps. He hoped it was his dad or papa. Instead, it was Brittany and Santana. He was starting to drift off again, but he stopped himself when he heard Santana. 

“I really didn’t see that coming,” Santana said, “Actually, I don’t believe it. Hobbit Blanderson is probably overreacting. Hummel wouldn’t cheat.”

What? What was Santana talking about? He sat up on the bed and almost groaned because his head throbbed.

“I don’t know, San, can we go get our lady kisses on?”

Rory could hear them walking past his door. 

“If this becomes a Back to the Future like situation with their kid fading away or something, I’m just—”

Rory yawned and sank back into bed. He couldn’t even stay awake long enough to think about what Santana had just said. Instead he fell back asleep.

-

Rory awoke. He didn't know what had woken him up except for his very stuffy nose. He reached for the box of tissues that had a funny box that Brittany had drawn from him as a feel better present. He got out of bed slowly and headed out to the bathroom. He was feeling a lot better even if his nose seemed to now b in constant need of a tissue. He blew it again before leaving the bathroom and then went to wash his hands. He opened the tap with his right hand and then when he was putting them under the running water his eyes must have played a trick on him - or maybe he was even worse off than he thought - because it looked like his left hand was fading.

Rory reeled back. He brought his hands up to his face but right before his eyes they both faded. He screamed and shook his head. He was just hallucinating, had to be.

Rory still felt them though, as if his hands and fingers were all still there. They weren't though. And when he tried to touch his face he felt nothing.

Panic rushed through him and he had to fight with the door with what was left o his arms to open it and stumbled out. He had to get shoes, maybe a coat and then to find one or both of his dads. They had to fix it.

His cell phone was lying on the bedside table. Rory had to use his feet to slide to phone open and bring the backlight on and then despite the amount of germs that were probably on that screen he used his to tongue to dial his dad.

"Pick up. Please pick up."

The phone rang. Once. Twice. It led him to a machine. He dialed again. His phone felt slimy when he pressed his cheek to it.

"Dad! Come on, please. Daddy, I need you..."

"Rory," someone said. He was shaken. 

They shook him again and the same voice called his name. It sounded like his dad. 

“Dad?” he asked.

“Yes, now open your eyes.” 

He was tangled up in his sheets, the rest of his covers thrown on the floor. A cold sweat covered his brow and his hair stuck everywhere. His dad sat next to him on the bed, facing him. 

“Are you okay?”

Rory lifted his arms. His hands were definitely still there. He sighed in relief. 

“I am…yes. Just a bad dream. I guess it was kind of silly, really, more than bad.” He grasped his hands together and kicked the sheet off of his body half because he was too hot and they were still twisted around his legs, and half because he needed to make sure that all of him was still there. Which reminded him…“dad, are you and papa fighting?”

Kurt looked unsure for a moment and then he nodded. “We are,” he said, “I made a mistake. We haven’t been communicating right which is partly my fault, I guess. I’ve been so focused on my audition and the time machine and his death. But, he’s also been pushing me away for whatever reason and, well, I met this guy and we were texting and Blaine found out…he didn’t take it well.”

“Oh, dad,” Rory said. 

“Today he sang in front of the whole glee club. Everyone thinks I went out and cheated on him. All I did was exchange some texts. But, I guess we’ll get through this – you’re still here, aren’t you?” 

Rory shuddered. He could still picture his hands disappearing. Santana burst into the room, followed closely by Brittany. “It’s ready,” she said, “the machine is ready for you.” 

His dads had always been a bit too open about their relationship with Rory. They had painted falling in love like a fairy tale. How they met on the Dalton staircase and then the romantic gesture his papa made by transferring to McKinley, and how through care packages and e-mails and video calls they had gotten through the year apart, and then the proposal and the wedding and how they had decided after a few years that they were ready to have a baby and that baby had turned out to be Rory. There had never even been a hint that there was someone else – even as minimal as one of them texting another guy. 

So maybe he had changed something. After all, if his dad hadn’t been so focused on him and the time machine maybe this could have been avoided. 

“Blaine will want to say goodbye to you,” his dad said, “even if he’s mad at me right now, I know he’ll want to say goodbye.”

\- - -

Kurt knew that the only reason Rory refused to leave was because he and Blaine were fighting. Kurt had tried to assure him that he didn’t have to worry, but in the end Rory had informed him that he needed to make sure they were together and happy. 

“You don’t know that we won’t have more problems,” Kurt had said, “every relationship goes through them, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to break up. Have you never seen us fight in the future?”

Rory had taken a while to nod, but then he had made a good argument for staying because he was still under the weather. So, Rory had helped him find a good Whitney song to sing to Blaine the next day because they both knew how much Blaine loved to speak through song. Kurt was still a little stung by Blaine’s performance of the day before, but he was ready now to show Blaine how much he loved him. 

Santana who had also been present throughout the entire thing had suggested that their problems really lay in Kurt hiding stuff from Blaine, namely the fact that Blaine was going to die in the future. She had agreed with him that it wasn’t something he should know. 

So, Kurt sang to Blaine and watched as his boyfriend got emotional even while he was trying to keep himself from crying, but afterwards Blaine just walked out of the room.

Later, he texted Blaine to meet him at Ms. Pillsbury’s office to get couples’ counseling. He knew she wasn’t going to be much help in that department, but at least it would be a medium to get Blaine talking to him. And when it all came out, suddenly Kurt knew what had been bothering Blaine and he felt horrible. How hadn’t he noticed that Blaine was worrying about the year they would have to be in two different states?

Afterwards, Kurt pulled him into an empty classroom. He leaned against one of the desks. 

“I think,” he said, “that from now on we need to be better at communicating.”

Blaine nodded. “Yeah. I guess I thought if I pulled away that it would make things easier, but I didn’t think that by doing that, that it might push you into someone else.”

“Oh, Blaine,” Kurt said and grabbed his hands, pulling him closer so that Blaine stood between his legs, “you have to know that I only ever thought of him as a friend. He made me feel good because it was an escape from everything else – from admitting that you kept making excuses not to see me and from thinking about Rory leaving because I’m going to really miss him. And don’t you know, he is the very proof that the two of us are forever.”

Blaine made that half laugh-cry that Kurt thought was the most adorable thing in the world – the one that he had never heard anyone else do. A Blaine sound. Then, they were kissing and Kurt felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Chandler would have never made him feel like this and Kurt would never have let him get this close to him to even try. He was Blaine’s and only ever Blaine’s. For the moment he let himself forget that there was a lot to come with the future that wouldn’t be this happy bubbling feeling.

“But, you know, with Rory leaving soon,” Blaine said between kisses, “we can get back off schedule.”

“Hmm, yes. Definitely.”

They kept kissing until the bell rang and Kurt knew that they both had to go to class. They pulled away reluctantly. 

“After school?” Blaine asked while they fixed each other’s clothes. 

Kurt shook his head. “Nope. I didn’t tell you earlier, but the machine is ready. Rory’s going home.”

“We can celebrate afterwards, then,” Blaine said and lifted his eyebrows comically. 

“Perhaps,” Kurt said and threw him a teasing smile.

Later, they went to Brittany’s house and entered, hands clasped together. Rory looked a lot better than he had in the previous days. He was in the living room, inclined back on a lazy-boy and watching tv. He jumped up when he saw them come in. 

“You’re together!” he exclaimed and hugged them both, pressed up between their bodies. Somehow, it felt absolutely right. Kurt wanted that feeling to last forever. 

“We’ve talked everything over and we’re fine now,” Kurt told him, “we just need to keep talking and we’ll be just fine even when we’re miles apart.” 

“Good,” Rory said.

“And whenever we start to forget how much we love each other we’ll just have to remember that we have a son to look forward to. Now, I think you’re needed elsewhere.”

Rory nodded. The three of them went down to the basement and Kurt felt it was right for it to be just the three of them for this. Rory hugged them each again and Kurt almost started to cry when Rory held onto Blaine longer. He did cry when Rory came back to him. 

“I’ll try really hard,” he whispered, “to make things right. I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Kurt said. 

Rory hugged a teary Blaine one last time and then he got onto the time machine. He turned it on, and just like Sugar had done, he pressed the big button and closed his eyes. In mere seconds he disappeared. 

“Well,” Kurt said, “I guess it’ll be a while before we get to see him again.”

Blaine wrapped his arms around him and dropped his neck on Kurt’s shoulder. “I don’t think I’m ready for a baby Rory yet, but I can’t wait until the day comes.”

“Yeah,” Kurt breathed.


	23. 2036

2036

“He’s gone.”

Kurt almost dropped his phone. Despite having seen this day coming for years – twenty four years to be exact – it still didn’t hit him hard to know that his son had just gone back to the past. Kurt knew enough about what would happen in the past to not be worried about any of it – except that of course he was worried, that was his baby – what he was much more worried about was what was to come. He moved away from his office window and into his comfortable chair.

“When are we sending Sugar?” Kurt asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. 

Santana took a moment before answering. “About that,” she said, “what if we don’t? I know you think she’s the one that sets things in motion, but Rory can still—”

Kurt cut her off, “We have to, Santana,” he said, “you know better than I do what happens when we try and change things. Blaine wouldn’t be here if they don’t go back.”

Santana sighed. “I know, I know…but, look, Rory did go. He’s back there and he’ll still tell you who he is and everything will happen all the same. Sugar didn’t affect that.”

“Sugar is the reason he gets back or don’t you remember that? Sugar knows the machine. She is important to all of this and if my son has to go back there, then your daughter has to as well. Don’t fight me on this, Santana, please don’t. Not today.”

Kurt slowly lowered the phone after Santana hung up and he sighed. Time travel was a very strange thing and he and Santana had learned all there was to it after Rory left for the future twenty four years before. And they had made plenty of mistakes along the way. But not this time. Kurt was not going to let Santana’s fear of her daughter going to the past stop the course of how things were meant to go. 

“Kurt, where are you?”

“In the office,” Kurt called back and smiled when his husband pushed the door open. 

“Hey,” he said, “so, I thought today was about us having some time for us. I’ve been holed up in that hotel for practically a week and I can’t even sleep because you’re not there.”

“Oh, poor you,” Kurt said, “I’ve missed you too and pretending really is exhausting, but I think it’s almost over.”

“What do you mean?” Blaine asked stepping further into the room. 

“He went back,” Kurt said, “Rory’s in the past.”

“Oh,” Blaine said and then, “I guess we never really knew when he left. The one thing you don’t ask.”

“I knew it would be one of these days,” Kurt said, “I just wish we could have prepared him more for it.”

The thing about having already experienced the past and knowing just what Rory was going to be up to back then made it a whole lot easier to accept, but they were parents and there was no way they couldn’t worry. 

“Santana doesn’t want to send Sugar,” Kurt added, “I don’t think she realized what it would be like. But she has to. Sugar is so important to have in the past – she has to go. I can’t – I can’t lose you just because…”

Blaine crossed the room and grabbed Kurt’s hands. “Calm down,” he said, “I’m here and I’m alive and I’m not going anywhere. You just have to remember that and Rory will be just fine. We saw him off and he’ll be back before we know it. Don’t worry about Santana.”

“You always know just what to say,” Kurt sighed and let Blaine pull him into his arms. 

“That’s because I know you so well.”

Kurt nodded.

They stood there for a while until Kurt’s phone began to ring again. They looked at the screen together. It was Santana. 

“Funny thing, time travel,” she said, “your son’s back.”

Kurt let out a laugh. “Are you messing with me?” 

“No,” Santana said, “Rory’s here. I’m going to bring him to yours. We need to hear everything from his perspective. See if Sugar going is even important anymore. You have Blaine and now Rory’s back – why send Sugar?”

“Because she’ll most likely be back momentarily and because we won’t have this if she doesn’t go. Santana, I went through exactly what you’re going through right now and you have to trust me when I say it’s what needs to be done.”

She muttered some more, part of it in Spanish. She ended with, “see you in a bit,” and then she was gone. 

Santana arrived twenty minutes later with Rory who looked like he'd been crying. They had both been standing by the window waiting, but after the car pulled over in front of the house, Kurt rushed to the door and threw it open. He waited until Rory had gotten out of the car before he was running across their lawn to greet him. He heard Blaine coming behind him.

"Daddy!" Rory cried and even though Kurt had seen Rory just two hours before when he dropped him off at Santana's he wrapped his arms tightly around his son.

"I'm sorry," Rory mumbled. His voice was heavy with emotion, "I didn't save him. And I left and...oh, god you were fighting and I did that. I should have gone back. Daddy, I missed you so much."

Kurt couldn't remember the last time that Rory had called him daddy. It made his heart just warm up to hear it again, but he was also pained because his son sounded so heartbroken over something he didn't need to. He reached to push some of Rory’s hair back from his forehead.

"There's someone that wants to see you," he said.

Rory pulled back and tried to wipe at his tears. "Who?" He asked, "it's not Sugar is it?"

Kurt almost laughed.

"No," Blaine said coming up behind them, "'me."

"Papa," Rory whispered, "but I thought you were..."

Kurt let him go and Rory practically flew at Blaine, throwing himself so hard into Blaine’s arms that the two of them almost toppled over.

It had been almost a week of lying to Rory about Blaine's death and it was amazing to get to see them together again; all worth it because the two of them were together again and they wouldn’t be separated. 

“But how?” Rory asked. 

They all headed back inside, Rory wrapped up around Blaine and not looking like he was going to be ready to let go any time soon. Santana followed last, quietly. 

“I didn’t know what to tell him,” she said, “didn’t think he would believe me.”

Kurt nodded. He knew it all too well. “That’s alright,” he said, “I’m just so happy to have him home.”

Blaine had taken Rory to the living room and Kurt couldn’t help but smile when he saw them. Rory was practically on Blaine’s lap he was so cuddled up to his papa, and Blaine seemed to want him there just as badly. Kurt knew it had been hard on him to have to stay away and to listen to Kurt as he cried on the phone because it was too hard pretending that Blaine really was gone, and he really wasn’t that good an actor. 

“How is this possible?” Rory asked. 

“Because we’re in a paradox,” Blaine said, “the very example of a paradox.” 

\- - -

Rory felt whole again. When he first realized that he was back to the same day he’d left, he’d freaked out. Aunt Santana had hugged him and tried to tell him that it was all alright, but he’d ignored her and just demanded to see his dad because apologizing to him and seeing him again was all that mattered. Santana had agreed and while she was going to grab a coat, Rory had tried to calm down. He hadn’t expected that when he arrived back home it wasn’t just to his dad, but also to his papa. His papa who was alive and well and just like Rory remembered him. He was confused, but there was nothing more important than to keep him close. 

After he asked for an explanation the second time, he braced himself to learn of the changes that had to have happened for his papa not to die. Back at the house there had been no trace of Sugar. Could her existence have been compromised? And where was Aunt Brittany?

“A paradox?” he asked.

His dad perched himself on the couch next to him and papa, “It’s like a circle,” his dad, “although not really because time isn’t exactly linear or circular or any shape that you may want it to be.”

“But then, what happened?” 

“You did,” Kurt said, “when you appeared in the past you changed the very course of our lives, Rory. You see, when I figured out that your papa was going to die and when you confirmed it and gave me all you knew about it, well, that allowed your Aunt Santana and I to figure out how we could save him. We have studied that machine inside and out and we realized something: when you use it to get somewhere weather the past of future, it won’t matter where else you want to go, you have to arrive back in your time which it will consider up to two months after the original time you left due to aging. So, we knew that you wouldn’t be able to save him unless you took the machine again. So, you wouldn’t be stopping the event. But, you made us aware that it was going to happen, so it didn’t.”

“Oh,” Rory said and really there wasn’t much else for him to say. He smiled though and snuggled back with his papa who leaned down to kiss his forehead. 

Being around his dad and papa now made him realize how much he had really missed these versions of them. They were the same and yet so different than from when they were younger. Maybe it was how they looked at him with this unconditional love that had never been able to come between them and Rory in the past, or how they just knew Rory perfectly. 

“So, then, you weren’t dead when I left?” Rory asked. 

His dads shared a look. 

“That’s why it’s a paradox,” Aunt Santana said, “your papa dies, so you rush to go to the past. The you in the past fixes it, he lives because we save him. If he’s alive and well, would you go to the past? No. So, you don’t go to the past. He dies. You decide to go. Like we said, it’s a circle.”

“And that’s why,” his dad said, “Sugar has to go.”

Aunt Santana nodded. “I know,” she said, “I know she has to. That doesn’t mean I want her to. It’s why you and Blaine will have to stay in this house until she goes. Sugar cannot know that you’re back or that Blaine isn’t dead.”

“So he was alive?” Rory asked. 

His papa nodded. “We’re so sorry,” he said, “trust me, I was against it from the beginning, but it was the only way.”

“That’s how it’s not like a paradox,” his dad said, “we’re breaking it so that he lives every time and that’s what the machine has allowed us to see. So we had to lie to you and make sure that you went knowing you’d come back, but not when except that it would be some time after when you originally left and it could have been months. We are so glad it was only hours.”

Rory blinked away tears. He couldn’t be mad, not when his going back in time had actually helped to keep his papa alive. Of course, something could still happen. One day he could leave the house and not come back, but for now he was there and Rory could appreciate that he had gone on a crazy adventure back in time to see his parents when they were just starting out so that he could come back to this family. 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he mumbled. 

“I’m so glad you’re here too, Rory,” his papa said, “you don’t know how it felt to hold you as a baby and know already how amazing you were going to be. To actually watch you grow up into the boy we met as teenagers and now to see that same boy again.”

Rory felt tears gathering in his eyes again. He closed his eyes tight. “I love you so much,” he muttered. 

\- - -

“How did you do it?” Rory asked later. 

Santana had gone home and Kurt had decided it was time to make dinner so the three of them were in their spacious kitchen. Rory had already set the table, so he was sitting on a stool by the small island watching as Kurt chopped up vegetables and Blaine worked on seasoning their chicken. 

“Do what?” he asked. 

“I guess fake your death,” Rory said, “I mean, there was a funeral and everything.” 

Blaine wiped his hands on a rag. “Well, we called in a few favors. You remember Artie from the past? Well he helped make it look like he was shooting something for the pilot of this new T.V. show he’s working on now.”

It had been really hard to pull off. After all, they didn’t want the world to think that Blaine had actually died, but Rory and Sugar had to really believe it. So, the cameras had been hiding and yet in plain sight. Everyone at the funeral was an actor or in on it which meant that a few crucial people had been missing and Kurt had had to pretend to be mad at Cooper for not attending. He and Blaine had banked on Rory being really upset and hoping he wouldn’t notice the obvious things. It had helped, though, that Artie was such an eccentric director that no one else questioned his choices in having hidden cameras to “capture the moment”, or how some of the people present hadn’t been cast in the pilot he was trying to get filmed. 

“It was very realistic,” Kurt added, “my tears were definitely not fake. It hurt to be there and consider that it was something that could have actually happened. Knowing that you would stop it from happening, it was what kept me going that day.”

Rory nodded. “I guess that makes sense,” he said, “and how did you save papa?”

Kurt finished chopping and then he put everything on the cutting board into a pot with water. 

“We told him the truth,” Kurt said, “how we knew he was going to die. I figured out eventually that everything had to happen like you told us it did. The cops coming to the house, the hospital, everything. It became a performance for us. The hardest part we will ever play.”

Rory looked stunned.

“You made it all happen, then,” he said. 

Blaine nodded. “You know, there’s this theory. The chaos theory which pretty much speaks to the idea that fate really doesn’t exist. Things happen as a result to other things happening. The fact that we knew you before you were born made us better parents for you and made us prepare you in a way to be back there. It made some of our choices easy. We never watched The Princess Bride with you when you were younger, and I enjoyed watching it with you when you were sick right before leaving you. We exposed you to certain music and made sure you could pull off that Irish accent though Cooper thought it was all his idea. So, you see, we made sure you were the boy we first met and you did everything the way you did it because of that.”

Rory looked at them thoughtfully and then he just smiled. “I think that thinking about it is going to make my head hurt.” 

Blaine laughed. He finished putting the chicken on the tray and put it in the already pre-heated oven. 

“But we don’t really have to anymore,” Kurt said, “except to get Sugar to the past. Which means neither of you can leave this house until she is ready to go.”

Rory didn’t groan or complain. Instead he just smiled. He’d grown up while in the past. He’d had to fend for himself for a while back then and he and Kurt had been so young, then. They hadn’t known what they were doing. Rory was their age, they didn’t think they needed to parent him. 

“We can do anything you want, Rory,” Blaine said, “I’m off work for a few more weeks.”

Rory grinned. “Yeah. Definitely. Does that mean I’m not going to school?” 

Kurt shook his head. “They think you went with your papa to New York. You’re expected to make up a bunch of things. Your classmates are e-mailing you notes from each class.”

At that, Rory did groan. “I miss going to school in the past,” he said, “it was much easier.”

Blaine shook his head. “McKinley was much easier,” he told him, “Dalton was about the same then as it is now.” 

While they were eating dinner, Rory told them about what he’d gone through in the past, explaining himself and demanding explanations and even making Kurt blush when he recalled a time when his dad was asking Rory for advice in the bedroom. 

“You tainted my poor ears, dad!” Rory exclaimed. 

Blaine watched his husband as he laughed and turned red and then leaned over to press a kiss on Rory’s cheek. “At least we didn’t have a sex tape on the internet for our child to find.” 

Rory shuddered. “They’re still my aunts,” he said. 

That turned into teasing about Rory having to pretend to date Sugar. 

“She’s not that bad, Rors,” Kurt said, “we all thought she had a crush on you when you were younger.” 

“That is definitely not happening,” Rory said, “never.” 

The three of them did the clean up together and Rory for once didn’t complain once about having to do the dishes which had always been a fight when it was his turn. Instead he happily did it and splashed him a little as he helped dry while Kurt put away leftovers and cleaned the counters and kitchen table. 

Afterwards they all curled up in the couch and decided to watch the old glee club competition tapes that Rachel had sent over a long time before. Blaine and Kurt had always told Rory that the tapes for their senior year had gone missing much to his disappointment because that was the year that they won nationals. Now, they pulled them out and Rory laughed when he spotted himself and then Sugar. 

“This looks so weird,” Rory said. 

Then they got to Nationals in Chicago and they all stopped and stared at the screen because Rory and Sugar were still there with the rest of the glee club. 

“I don’t remember this,” Rory said. 

“You left right before my NYADA audition,” Kurt said, “a week before but it’s like I’ve forgotten you were there for any of this.”

“Because I wasn’t,” Rory insisted. 

“Can you zoom in there,” Blaine said, “just to get a good look at you on one of those frames.” 

Rory nodded. He was definitely more technologically advanced than his dads. He clicked a few buttons and then got it to zoom in giving them a perfect picture of Rory standing next to his much younger dad on the Nationals stage.

Blaine looked between the Rory on the screen and the Rory next to them. Did that mean that Rory and Sugar had to go back?

“Did I ever show back up in the past at any time?” Rory asked, “late on, I mean?” 

Blaine shook his head, but Kurt nodded. “You did,” he said, “but I didn’t say anything because you were older and there are a few things about that trip that you haven’t found out yet.” 

Blaine looked at Kurt and then at Rory. 

“Later,” Kurt mumbled to him and then louder, “you’ll find out eventually, Rory, but first, what are we going to do about this?” 

They didn’t figure anything out that night and after the two of them actually tucked Rory into bed, they went back to their bedroom. 

“When did he come see you?” Blaine asked. 

“When he found out that you cheated on me,” Kurt said, “he must have been twenty or so. He came back that weekend I was home for the wedding. Brittany found him the day before I was supposed to leave. He’s the reason I extended my trip, not to mention other things.”

“Oh,” Blaine said, “but we promised he would never find out about any of that.” 

It had been years ago and really Blaine was over it all, except that he would always hate what he did to them that year. Kurt on the other hand had gotten over it after he finally forgave Blaine, going as far as to say that it was forgiven. 

“I guess he does,” Kurt said, “and it’s a good thing. He saves us time and time again our Rory.”

“He made you come back to me,” Blaine said.

“Well, I was practically already there.”


	24. Sugar's Back

Three months later it seemed like everything was back to normal. Rory was back going to school and both his dads were working. They were all still worried about Rory's appearance in the past but were still trying to figure out if Rory had to go back any time soon. It wasn't a secret that none of them wanted Rory to go back in time. Sugar had left a month and a half ago but she had yet to come back and that was another worry though they were sure she would turn up eventually. Aunt Santana was holding a grudge against his dad. She needed someone to blame and Rory thought she also resented him because Rory had come back so quick and Sugar still hadn’t.

"Hey, Rory," his dad said coming into the kitchen, "what are you up to?"

Rory was looking through all the notes that his dad and Santana had made about time travel. Some of them were absolutely silly and Rory was almost positive that they had been kept only because they were funny. Others were confusing. Some were just questions.

"Trying to see if there's anything about Sugar's return," Rory said.

"You're not going to find anything," his dad said, "I've told you everything. Most of that stuff's useless. She'll turn up soon enough."

Rory nodded. "I know. And what about me and nationals?"

His dad shrugged. "I think we should wait for Sugar before doing anything about that. Now, don't you have any homework?"

"Finished it."

His dad kissed the side of his face and continued towards the fridge with his glass and filled it up with water. 

“Well,” his dad said, “I want you to stop thinking about all of this. Everything will happen as it happens, alright? You’ll go back eventually or we’ll figure something else out.”

“I just don’t understand how you couldn’t remember that I was there,” Rory said. 

“Sweetheart, I don’t think we interacted much the second time around and I had so much else going on. My audition. Prom. Graduation. Nationals. Not getting into NYADA.”

Rory nodded. He understood why his dad might not have remembered him. Maybe when he went back he stayed away deliberately and that was why they didn’t notice him. Yes, that had to be it. They were meant to not remember him. They hadn’t actually told Aunt Santana and Aunt Brittany about the video yet, but Rory couldn’t help but wonder if they remembered him and Sugar or if anyone else did. 

The day that Sugar returned was a Saturday so Rory was home just lounging around in his pajamas. His papa was playing music from the music room, something new that was becoming old as he played it yet another time. His dad was making brunch which was the usual for Saturday mornings. They used to have them with Aunt Santana and Aunt Brittany but that had stopped for the past month or so. 

The phone call came when his dad was calling them to eat. All three of them in pajamas sat around the island in the kitchen. His papa picked up. 

“Hello,” he said and then, “she is? That’s great, Santana. Do you want us to come over?” 

His papa mouthed “Sugar” at them while he listened to whatever was being said. 

“We’ll see you later, then.” 

“She’s back?” Rory asked, “Sugar’s back?”

“Yes,” his papa said, “but Santana said she would bring her over in a few hours.”

Rory couldn’t wait. Back before he went to the past, Rory wouldn’t have been as excited to see Sugar, but since sharing that experience with her, he had started to sort of miss her. He wanted to see her again and laugh at being back first even though he’d left later. He also wanted to finally discuss everything in the video with his aunts and Sugar and try and figure out what it all meant. 

\- - -

“I did only know he was older because he told me,” Kurt said. 

Sugar had just come home from their nationals completion. It was apparently the same older Rory that had gone to see him about Blaine cheating that had appeared in those last few weeks of school. It was relief to know that Rory wouldn’t be leaving again for a while. 

“So, I’ll time travel again when I’m twenty?” Rory asked. 

Kurt nodded and sipped at his water. “It appears like that is what happens.” 

They were all sitting in the living room. Santana and Brittany had taken up the loveseat and Sugar was not far from them in an armchair. It was nice to have them back in their lives and to not have Santana yell at him. They now knew why Sugar had taken so long. The machine had taken her on a little detour. 

“I was really surprised when I got there and the house was the same. I went upstairs at once and I knew Rory was gone. Mami knew I was there and she told me to lay low. She thought you might think Rory was in trouble since I was the only one still there.”

Sugar explained how later she’d run into Rory. A just slightly taller Rory who had pulled her into a broom closet and explained that they had to stay out of the way and not be remembered by his parents. Sugar didn’t tell them a whole lot about older Rory, but she had a strange glint in her eyes when she talked about him. 

“I really wanted to come home,” she said, “it wasn’t fair, but Rory told me we were stuck there until after Graduation and Nationals.”

She was home, though. At last. Her moms were happy again and what made Kurt happier was knowing that Rory wouldn’t just be going to the past all of a sudden again. It would be four more years before they had to deal with it again and by then Rory would be technically an adult and they might all be more prepared. What Kurt wasn’t looking forward to was Rory’s reaction to Blaine cheating on him. Kurt wondered if Sugar knew. He and Blaine had agreed to let him find out on his own, but Kurt still worried. They had always given Rory this false look at his and Blaine’s relationship – although really past those two instances with Chandler and Eli, no big issues had come between the two of them so it was all like what they’d told him. 

Not having to worry anymore relaxed all of them and they had a nice afternoon catching up, slowly falling back into normalcy. This was how things should have been. 

After Sugar and her moms left, Kurt decided to get back to doing some work. He had a few more designs to approve and even more to redraft from the scribbles he’d managed earlier because the ideas had been coming too fast and he’d been a little worked up about Sugar being back. 

Now, he could really focus on his work. 

Kurt didn’t come out of his office until dinner time and only because Blaine entered the room and kneaded at his shoulders until Kurt put his pencil down. 

“You work way too hard,” Blaine told him, “I ordered food. Also, Cooper just called me. He’s apparently in town. Heard we were shooting something with Artie and is demanding to know why he wasn’t called.” 

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes. It was a classic Cooper move. They had been steering him away from Artie for years because Artie was still just as honest as ever when it came to what he said to his actors and they all knew that he would destroy Cooper. Cooper seemed to know that though, because he didn’t actively pursue him. 

“Is Ally with him?”

Ally was Cooper’s wife. She was a writer and getting more and more popular. She wrote the kind of books that were popular among teenage girls and had written a good thirty or so books and Kurt would forever be astonished at her good fortune of being published because she wasn’t very good. Ally and Cooper worked well together that way though. She wasn’t a very good writer making it good, and he a bad actor going from guest spot to guest spot and from commercial to commercial. But, he’d gotten better than when Kurt had first met him, taking some cues from Blaine and probably some references too. 

“Yes. Cooper tells me she has a deadline so she might be writing all weekend. Apparently her next book is about time travel and of course the heroine ends up with some dashing boy. Let’s not tell Sugar she’ll be around.”

Sugar was of course a big fan and if anyone got her nervous it was Ally. 

“I’m glad. She’ll keep him in check. It might be nice for her, actually, after all she’s been through.”

Blaine shrugged. “They’re coming over later, Ally needs to get to a certain number of words or something.” 

Cooper and Ally arrived after they had finished eating and Rory was the first to the door, hugging his aunt and uncle and Kurt suddenly remembered that Rory had been around when Kurt met Cooper. He almost blushed. That tiny crush had disappeared years ago, but his son now knew that there had been one and he definitely looked like he wanted to ask about it. 

“I haven’t seen you guys in ages,” Cooper said after they were in the living room, “and I still can’t believe you didn’t even want me as an extra. I’m in desperate need for work.”

He really wasn’t. Kurt couldn’t imagine what might have happened to Cooper if he hadn’t been born an Anderson, or if he hadn’t met Ally who made more than enough money to support them because he certainly wouldn’t have been able to put food on the table. 

“It was very last minute,” Kurt said, “I didn’t even think I would do it. And anyway, it was cut – Artie decided on going in a different direction.”

After that things got a bit calmer. 

“Anyway, what are you going to do now, Squirt?” Cooper asked. 

“Don’t call me that,” Blaine answered, “I don’t know. I’ve been writing some songs again, but I don’t think I’m ready to commit myself to anything with that, they’ll want a tour out of me. I finished the show in New York last year and I don’t think I could handle doing that again any time soon.”

Ally spoke up then, “you don’t want to be away from your family,” she said. 

Blaine shrugged. Kurt knew she was right. They had never been afraid to go after their dreams no matter where they took them. Long distance didn’t scare them anymore and they had the means to be at each other’s side at any time. They had agreed a long time ago to put that in front of everything else and it had been working. It had worked during the year Blaine was on Broadway and Kurt had remained behind in Ohio with Rory, and the three months that Kurt had had to live in Paris. 

“I don’t,” Blaine said, “I think it’s time we stick close together for a while. This guy,” he pointed at Rory, “is getting older and soon he’ll be off to college and out in the world on his own and it’ll give me some time to just work on my music.”

“Well,” Ally said, “I think that’s commendable.” 

Ally and Cooper had no children though Kurt thought that Ally would have made an amazing mother. Their kids would have been damn attractive too. She was a tall leggy blond with amber eyes, pouty lips and a button nose. Ally oozed warmth.

“I think so too,” Kurt said and reached for Blaine’s hand, “it might be the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

\- - -

“You’re really not going to tell me anything,” Rory said. 

Sugar shook her head. “It’s better if you don’t know, don’t you think?”

Rory sighed. He’d been pestering Sugar for hours about the last few weeks of his dads’ senior year but Sugar wouldn’t tell him anything except that he would leave during the Thanksgiving break of his sophomore year of college. She wouldn’t even tell him what school he’d be attending.

“I don’t think it’d be better, actually,” he said, “I mean it, Sugar, wouldn’t it be better to be prepared?”

She shook her head again. “If that were the case your dad would have told you why you go back. And no, I don’t know. They do.”

There would be no getting anything out of his dads. Rory rolled his eyes but he sighed and nodded. “Fine. I guess four more years isn’t that long a time.”

“It’s really not,” she said and then, “I’m so glad everything worked out. Uncle Blaine is alive and we didn’t change anything.”

“You still don’t know who your dad is,” Rory pointed out. 

Sugar licked her lips. “Actually,” she said, “I do. You told me, actually.”

“Oh,” Rory said and then, “are you going to tell me?”

“Nope.” 

“But of course.”

Rory liked that it had gotten easier to hang out with Sugar. They had this sort of bond because they’d both gone to the past and experienced seeing their parents as teenagers, and it made it all the much easier for Rory to be comfortable around her which wasn’t the same way he felt around anyone else in school. 

Before going to the past Rory had had a few good friends from the Warblers and couple outside of the a cappella group, but not being able to really share that he’d gone on this crazy adventure made it hard to talk to them. All they cared about was the latest video game or movie and the ones in the Warblers were always discussing music and competitions. They had made it past Regionals and Rory was actually pretty excited about being able to go to Nationals. His dads were as well and Rory was pretty sure that he was going to get a verse of one of the songs to himself

Sugar seemed to be feeling the same way he was but to a much higher degree. It probably had more to do with knowing who her dad was. Sugar had always wanted to know. Rory on the other hand had never been keen on finding his mother. He knew that his dad’s had chosen to have him via surrogate, but that they had asked someone specifically to be the egg donor. A part of him just didn’t want to know. His dad and papa were more than enough. 

“My moms were really worried, huh?” Sugar asked.

Rory nodded. “You know, I got back before you left and Aunt Santana really didn’t want you to go. She got over it though and I think she really regretted it when you just didn’t come back quickly enough.” 

“Well, I don’t think I’m going anywhere near that machine ever again.”

Rory laughed. He couldn’t say the same. It would be four more years, but he would be back with the machine and into the past. A part of him wanted to just get it over and done with, but a bigger part wanted him to just enjoy the four years he had before he was back in the past. 

“Lucky you,” he said.

Sugar shrugged her shoulders. “Stop worrying about it so much.”

“I would if you told me anything.”

“I can’t,” she said and stood up, “anyway, I have a bunch of homework to catch up on so I should get going.”

He nodded. 

Sugar actually hugged him before she left and then she paused at the door, looking back at him with a thoughtful look. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Oh, nothing.”

Rory rolled his eyes. He doubted that he would ever understand Sugar. 

“Was that Sugar?” his papa asked, coming into the living room. 

“Yeah,” Rory said, “she’s so frustrating. She won’t tell me anything about what happens when I’m in the past a second time.”

His papa laughed. “Of course she won’t. Some things you’re supposed to experience on your own. Do you think for one minute that things would have turned out the same if your dad and I told you everything before you went to the past? It was your reactions and how you dealt with things that was important about you being back there.”

“Right,” Rory said. 

His dad was in New York for the week for some fashion thing. Rory was glad that his papa had opted to stay behind with him which wasn’t something they always did. Rory liked that he got to spend some time with him on his own. It was even better because with his papa not working, they could literally do nothing for days. All that his papa did ask for was that the house be kept clean. 

“Your dad would kill us,” he’d said. 

“Anyway,” his papa said, “it’ll be more fun if you don’t know what’s coming.”

“She told me you knew what makes me want to go back,” Rory said. 

Blaine nodded slowly. “I think you figured out that your dad and I don’t tell you everything that happened in the past, right? This is one of those things. And, Rory, anything going on between you and Sugar?” 

“Papa!” 

His papa only laughed. “I really did think you liked her back then,” he said, “and your dad and I wouldn’t be opposed if you did. Might have some trouble with Santana.” 

“I don’t like Sugar like that,” Rory said, “besides, she’s like my cousin.”

“Not by blood,” his papa added.

Rory shook his head. “Not interested in her, papa. I’m still a little lost on the whole relationship thing.”

“I know,” his papa said, “as much as I want you to find someone that you can see in that way, well, I think it’s good that you don’t lose yourself to someone else.”

Rory tilted his head a little. He didn’t really understand. His dad had given him a very long speech once about sex and love that had involved a lot of blushing from Rory and his dad alike, and that had eventually ended in his dad telling him to not throw himself around and that he mattered. It sounded a lot like something Grandpa Burt would say. This was different. 

“What do you mean?” Rory asked. 

“I think all this talk of the past has left me thinking about everything,” Blaine said, “and it’s just something I wish someone had told me back then.”

“But, you and dad, you were always just with each other right?” 

Blaine nodded at once a little too fast, “It’s about your dad, Rory,” Blaine said, “and I know you’ve wanted to ask about Chandler.”

Rory had. He hadn’t know just how to bring it up thought. 

“What I’m saying,” his papa said, “is that you have to be able to be you and to know who that is while being able to fit with another person. That’s what your dad and I had to figure out long after you left and we’ve managed it pretty well.”

“What about Chandler then?” Rory asked. 

Blaine smiled. “He was nothing,” he said, “it was your dad running away from his problems and finding an escape because I was pushing him away and because your dad loved you so much even when we were in high school that he couldn’t handle thinking about you leaving. Yes, it was a form of cheating, and your dad admitted that no one should have been able to make him feel happy and good about himself that way, but in the end it was innocent and inadvertent and we never really talked about it again after it happened.”

“Oh,” Rory said, “is that why you never told me?” 

“It just wasn’t important.” 

Rory nodded. He felt like there was something more there. His papa looked like he was still thinking about something else, but he didn’t say anything. So, Rory decided it was time to change the subject. 

“What are we getting for dinner?” 

“We could go out,” his papa suggested. 

Rory shrugged. “Alright.” 

“Be ready in an hour,” his papa added before Rory was out of the room. 

An hour later he heard the door open downstairs. Rory had just finished putting on his shoes, so he headed downstairs. His dad was there. He pressed a finger to his lips. 

“Where’s your papa?” he asked. 

“Your room.” 

Rory watched his dad head up and then he heard laughter and loud kissing, but he just smiled because that was his family and he was the happiest person in the world knowing that he got to have both his dad and papa in his life. He walked back up the stairs and towards the master bedroom. The door was wide open and his dad stood behind his papa in front of a mirror, fixing the bowtie. Rory watched his dad peck his papa on the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end. However, there is a second part to this which I will begin posting promptly. It is not as long and focuses a little more on the Rory/Sugar aspect of things rather than Klaine as this one did -- it's also not written as well in my opinion, not that this was much better...but as I am only just moving all of my fic here I won't dwell on that. 
> 
> I hope anyone that's been reading enjoyed this and the very twisty ending that it had...time travel, what can I say. 
> 
> The second part was partly written to finish off the season 3 school year seeing as both Rory and Sugar stuck around and also sort of goes into season 4 plots such as The Break Up....


End file.
